The Importance of Colour Psychology and Risk

Dr Tony Zalewski (ASIS Victoria Australia Chair), advises that according to the literature, colour greatly influences human emotion and behaviour. It is linked to psychological, physiological and social reactions of humans. This knowledge is particularly relevant in the assessment and design of workplaces including healthcare.

It is well-reported that healthcare environments are disproportionately represented in data associated with occupational violence.

Various inquiries into violence and security arrangements consistently identify that design in an important aspect for influencing and managing behaviour.

Succinctly, in addition to the various considerations for security/safety in healthcare utilising approaches through CPTED and Situational Crime Prevention measures, the impact of colour psychology should not be overlooked.

Dr Sally Augustin is an environmental psychologist and expert on person-centered design.  She argues there is clear evidence that natural lighter colours such as green, blue and brown are seen as calming.  Other colours such as red are not seen across the research literature as calming.  

Security and safety risk assessors should consider this important area of knowledge within relevant assessments where there is a high proportion of public-facing staff.

A number of articles on this subject are available through: https://www.cheresearch.org/