Incidents and Disaster Avoidance: The Role of Communication Management and the Organizational Communication Climate in High-Risk Environments

Abstract

Health, safety and the working environment are of paramount importance, especially in the high-risk environments found at facilities in the oil and gas industry, where hazards are inevitable and accidents may lead to regrettable situations such as explosions, oil spills and other disasters. The high number of accidents and disasters at such facilities bring safety-related matters to the fore. The complexity of the communication process is very often underestimated, where failures in communication could lead to major disasters. This paper investigates the role of communication management and the organizational communication climate and their impact on incidents and disaster avoidance. This study embarks on a quantitative approach involving 260 personnel from high-risk workplaces at oil and gas facilities, based on purposive sampling. Hypotheses were tested using PLS-SEM to identify causal relationships and for mediation analysis. The findings of this study show that communication management and the organizational communication climate have a significant impact on disaster avoidance. The organizational communication climate is also found to be a significant mediator for the relationship between communication management and disaster avoidance. Communication management and the organizational communication climate need to be enhanced and to be integrated with other technology and innovation to improve safety regulation adherence in the oil and gas industry.

Influence of communication determinants on safety commitment in a high-risk workplace: a systematic literature review of four communication dimensions

“…The communication climate, in terms of organizational perspective, can be defined as “a relatively enduring quality of the organizational environment which is experienced by its members that could encourage or discourage the communication process” ( 93 ). The organizational communication climate plays a pivotal role in the success of an organization due to the relationship it creates between leaders and members.…”

“…Supportive environments motivate effective participation, prompt and healthy exchange of information, and productive conflict resolution. An effective communication climate needs active and efficient management of conflicts ( 60 , 93–96 ). Moreover, the internal climate positively impacts the correlation of organization leaders with other organization members.…”

Communication from below: Feedback from employees as a tool for their stabilisation

“…innovation, marketing, sales, etc.). Effective communication management could improve job security [ 35 ]. Upward communication can help solve problems that arise in an organisation and accelerate the process of adapting to changes or avoiding problems [ 19 , 36 ].…”

Sustainable waste management and organizational performance of food and beverage firms

“…A safe and healthy work environment is vital for overall sustainability, because it counteracts opportunities for economic and social development (Nordin, Rizal, Rashid, Che Omar, & Priyadi, 2021). However, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO, 2018), despite the international commitment to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) via the 2030s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), work-related accidents and diseases are still far too common.…”