Is ‘invisible gorilla’ self-reportedly measurable? Development and validation of a new questionnaire for measuring cognitive unsafe behaviors of front-line industrial workers

Abstract

The most complicated problem in detecting workplace hazards is the dynamic condition of industrial settings and the unpredictability of workers’ behavior. A newly developed method focusing on cognitive differences between individuals is required to evaluate unsafe behaviors of workers. This study aimed at development and validation of a new questionnaire for measuring cognitive unsafe behaviors of front-line industrial workers. A new questionnaire with 61 items was developed and the main measurement characteristics (validity and reliability) were analyzed. Content validity analysis showed that 61 items had an excellent content validity index (<0.78) and content validity ratio (>0.42). Good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.95) and stability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.98) were found for the new instrument. The result of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the selected model was satisfactory. The new instrument appears to be a valid and reliable tool to assess cognitive unsafe behaviors of front-line industrial workers.

Keywords:

• cognitive factors
• unsafe behavior
• human factors
• front-line workers

Acknowledgements

This article was extracted from a thesis written by Mahnaz Shakerian, a PhD student of Occupational Hygiene Engineering. The authors thank Mr Hiva Azmoon, a great colleague who unfortunately passed away, for his best efforts and novel ideas in this study. The authors also acknowledge the experts who participated in this study as well as the managers and practitioners of the studied steel company for their appreciable cooperation with the research team.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This article was financially supported by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences [grant No. 95-01-04-11410].