A path model approach to safety compliance and personal factors among electrical workers in India

Abstract

This article reports the findings from a safety research survey conducted among the employees of a large public-sector electrical utility in the state of Kerala, India. Responses from 3017 employees were collected by one-to-one interaction using the developed instrument. Personal factors like self-esteem, job stress, personal stress, social support and fatigue of the targeted population were measured. Personal safety climate factors of the utility were accessed by modifying the existing safety climate scales. Statistical analysis confirmed the reliability and validity of the factors in the study. A significant path model of personal and safety climate factors was developed. Seven research hypotheses were validated using statistical analysis. The results of the study highlighted the need for safety participation, safety knowledge, safety training and interventions to reduce personal issues in the workplace. These findings provide valuable insights for safety professionals for implementing novel methods to ensure workplace safety.

KEYWORDS:

• personal factors
• safety climate
• safety behaviour
• factor analysis
• mediation
• path analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Cochin University of Science and Technology.