Workplace safety: A meta-analysis of the roles of person and situation factors.

Abstract

Recent conceptual and methodological advances in behavioral safety research afford an opportunity to integrate past and recent research findings. Building on theoretical models of worker performance and work climate, this study quantitatively integrates the safety literature by meta-analytically examining person- and situation-based antecedents of safety performance behaviors and safety outcomes (i.e., accidents and injuries). As anticipated, safety knowledge and safety motivation were most strongly related to safety performance behaviors, closely followed by psychological safety climate and group safety climate. With regard to accidents and injuries, however, group safety climate had the strongest association. In addition, tests of a meta-analytic path model provided support for the theoretical model that guided this overall investigation. The implications of these findings for advancing the study and management of workplace safety are discussed.

Trench Safety–Using a Qualitative Approach to Understand Barriers and Develop Strategies to Improve Trenching Practices

“…This is important because workers, who do not perceive their work to be dangerous, are less likely to be motivated to engage in safe practices. Multiple studies have shown that workers who are motivated to work safely tend to work more safely, which has then been linked to fewer accidents and injuries compared to workers who work unsafely (e.g., Christian et al, 2009;Neal & Griffin, 2004). Workers may understand superficially that the work is dangerous but may not understand how dangerous it is, or they may incorrectly believe they can avoid the dangers.…”

“…Neal and Griffin's (2004) model is utilized for the current study of unsafe trenching practices since the model points to possible factors that could help explain why workers do not engage in proper safety behaviors. Neal and Griffin's suggestion that safety knowledge and motivation directly influence safety performance has been empirically supported (e.g., Christian, Bradley, Wallace, & Burke, 2009). Therefore, possible barriers to safe trenching and excavations include lack of knowledge of proper safe practices or lack of motivation to engage in these behaviors.…”

“…Meta-analyses have demonstrated that safety climate is related to safety performance as well as reductions in accidents and injuries (Christian et al, 2009;Clarke, 2006). Studies have also shown that a positive safety climate can be fostered through organizational changes.…”

Safety at work: A meta-analytic investigation of the link between job demands, job resources, burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes.

“…Alternatively, job resources create a motivational process in which the resources motivate employees toward higher engagement (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007;Demerouti et al, 2001). Because most models of workplace safety focus on motivational processes (Christian, Bradley, Wallace, & Burke, 2009;Neal & Griffin, 2004), they are incomplete in that they do not recognize the role the health impairment process might play in workplace safety.…”

“…Although there have been recent meta-analyses of workplace safety (Christian et al, 2009;Clarke, 2006a;Clarke & Robertson, 2005), the current meta-analysis is the first to utilize the JD-R model. This has enabled us to connect various job demands and resources to their potential impact on safety outcomes.…”