Safety and Health at Work

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (산업안전보건연구원)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

The Interplay Between Supervisor Safety Support and Occupational Health and Safety Vulnerability on Work Injury

  • Yanar, Basak (Institute for Work & Health) ;
  • Lay, Morgan (Institute for Work & Health) ;
  • Smith, Peter M. (Institute for Work & Health)
  • Received : 2018.05.15
  • Accepted : 2018.11.13
  • Published : 2019.06.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Background: Workers exposed to hazards without adequate protections are at greater risk of injury and illness. Supervisor activities have also been associated with injury risk. We examined the interplay between supervisor safety support and occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability on workplace injury and illness. Methods: A survey was administered to 2,390 workers employed for more than 15 hrs/week in workplaces with at least five employees who had a direct supervisor. We examined the combined effects of hazard exposure with inadequate protection (OHS vulnerability) and supervisor support on workplace injury and illness, using additive interactions in log-binomial regression models. Results: OHS vulnerability and lack of supervisor support independently increased the likelihood of physical injuries at work. Crude and adjusted models showed that the risk of physical injury was at least 3.5 times higher among those experiencing both OHS vulnerability and a lack of supervisor support than individuals without OHS vulnerability and with a supportive direct supervisor. Workers who experienced vulnerability were at less risk if they had a supervisor who was supportive. Conclusion: In workplaces where workers experience one or more types of OHS vulnerability, having a supportive supervisor may play an important role in reducing the risk of injury and protecting workers.

Keywords

References

  1. Breslin FC, Smith P. Age-related differences in work injuries: a multivariate, population-based study. Am J Ind Med 2005;48(1):50-6. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20185
  2. Dembe AE, Erickson JB, Delbos R. Predictors of work-related injuries and illnesses: national survey findings. J Occup Environ Hyg 2004;1(8):542-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459620490478376
  3. Oh JH, Shin EH. Inequalities in nonfatal work injury: the significance of race, human capital, and occupations. Soc Sci Med 2003;57(11):2173-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00073-X
  4. Premji S, Smith P. Education-to-job mismatch and the risk of work injury. Inj Prev 2013;19(2):106-11. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2011-040314
  5. Smith PM, Saunders R, Lifshen M, Black O, Lay M, Breslin FC, et al. The development of a conceptual model and self-reported measure of occupational health and safety vulnerability. Accid Anal Prev 2015;82:234-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2015.06.004
  6. Lay AM, Saunders R, Lifshen M, Breslin FC, Lamontagne AD, Tompa E, et al. The relationship between occupational health and safety vulnerability and workplace injury. Saf Sci 2017;94:85-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.12.021
  7. Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety. Report and recommendations to the Minister of Labour. Toronto, ON: Ontario Ministry of Labour; 2010.
  8. Huang Yh, Lee J, McFadden AC, Rineer J, Robertson MM. Individual employee perceptions of Group-level Safety Climate(supervisor referenced) versus Organization-level Safety Climate (top management referenced): associations with safety outcomes for lone workers. Accid Anal Prev 2017;98:37-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.016
  9. Lingard H, Cooke T, Blismas N. Do perceptions of supervisors safety responses mediate the relationship between perceptions of the organizational safety climate and incident rates in the construction supply chain? J Constr Eng Manag 2012;138(2):234-41. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000372
  10. Tomas J, Melia JL, Oliver A. A cross-validation of a structural equation model of accidents: organizational and psychological variables as predictors of work safety. Work Stress 1999;13(1):49-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/026783799296183
  11. Zohar D. The effects of leadership dimensions, safety climate, and assigned priorities on minor injuries in work groups. J Organ Behav 2002;23(1):75-92. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.130
  12. Simard M, Marchand A. Workgroups' propensity to comply with safety rules: the influence of micro-macro organisational factors. Ergonomics 1997;40(2):172-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/001401397188288
  13. Hofmann DA, Burke MJ, Zohar D. 100 years of occupational safety research: from basic protections and work analysis to a multilevel view of workplace safety and risk. J Appl Psychol 2017;102(3):375. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000114
  14. Huang Yh, Chen PY, Krauss AD, Rogers DA. Quality of the execution of corporate safety policies and employee safety outcomes: assessing the moderating role of supervisor safety support and the mediating role of employee safety control. J Bus Psychol 2004;18(4):483-506. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBU.0000028448.01394.bf
  15. Hayes BE, Perander J, Smecko T, Trask J. Measuring perceptions of workplace safety: development and validation of the work safety scale. J Saf Res 1998;29(3):145-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4375(98)00011-5
  16. Puah LN, Ong LD, Chong WY. The effects of perceived organizational support, perceived supervisor support and perceived co-worker support on safety and health compliance. Int J Occup Saf Ergon 2016;22(3):333-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2016.1159390
  17. Zohar D, Luria G. A multilevel model of safety climate: cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates. J Appl Psychol 2005;90(4):616. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.4.616
  18. Beus JM, Payne SC, Bergman ME, Arthur Jr W. Safety climate and injuries: an examination of theoretical and empirical relationships. J Appl Psychol 2010;95(4):713. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019164
  19. McCaughey D, McGhan G, Walsh EM, Rathert C, Belue R. The relationship of positive work environments and workplace injury: evidence from the National Nursing Assistant Survey. Health Care Manage Rev 2014;39(1):75-88. https://doi.org/10.1097/HMR.0b013e3182860919
  20. Swaen GMH, Van Amelsvoort LPGM, Bultmann U, Slangen JJM, Kant IJ. Psychosocial work characteristics as risk factors for being injured in an occupational accident. J Occup Environ Med 2004;46(6):521-7. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jom.0000128150.94272.12
  21. Flin R. Danger - men at work: management influence on safety. Hum Factor Ergon Manuf 2003;13(4):261-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/hfm.10042
  22. O'Dea A, Flin R. Site managers and safety leadership in the offshore oil and gas industry. Saf Sci 2001;37(1):39-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00049-7
  23. Simard M, Marchand A. The behaviour of first-line supervisors in accident prevention and effectiveness in occupational safety. Saf Sci 1994;17(3): 169-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/0925-7535(94)90010-8
  24. Zohar D. The influence of leadership and climate on occupational health and safety. Health and safety in organizations: a multilevel perspective; 2003. p. 201-30.
  25. Zohar D, Luria G. Group leaders as gatekeepers: testing safety climate variations across levels of analysis. Appl Psychol 2010;59(4):647-73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2010.00421.x
  26. Geldart S, Smith CA, Shannon HS, Lohfeld L. Organizational practices and workplace health and safety: a cross-sectional study in manufacturing companies. Saf Sci 2010;48(5):562-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2010.01.004
  27. Robson LS, Stephenson CM, Schulte PA, Amick III BC, Irvin EL, Eggerth DE, et al. A systematic review of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety training. Scand J Work Environ Health 2012:193-208.
  28. Shannon HS, Mayr J, Haines T. Overview of the relationship between organizational and workplace factors and injury rates. Saf Sci 1997;26(3):201-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(97)00043-X
  29. Vredenburgh AG. Organizational safety: which management practices are most effective in reducing employee injury rates? J Saf Res 2002;33(2):259-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4375(02)00016-6
  30. Newnam S, Sheppard DM, Griffin MA, McClure RJ, Heller G, Sim MR, et al. Work-related road traffic injury: a multilevel systems protocol. Inj Prev 2014 injuryprev-2013.
  31. Souza K, Cantley LF, Slade MD, Eisen EA, Christiani D, Cullen MR. Individual-level and plant-level predictors of acute, traumatic occupational injuries in a manufacturing cohort. Occup Environ Med 2014;71(7):477-83. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2013-101827
  32. DeJoy DM, Schaffer BS, Wilson MG, Vandenberg RJ, Butts MM. Creating safer workplaces: assessing the determinants and role of safety climate. J Saf Res 2004;35(1):81-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2003.09.018
  33. Goldenhar LM, Williams LJ, Swanson NG. Modelling relationships between job stressors and injury and near-miss outcomes for construction labourers. Work Stress; 2003.
  34. Nahrgang JD, Morgeson FP, Hofmann DA. Safety at work: a meta-analytic investigation of the link between job demands, job resources, burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes. J Appl Psychol 2011;96(1):71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021484
  35. Neal A, Griffin MA, Hart PM. The impact of organizational climate on safety climate and individual behavior. Saf Sci 2000;34(1-3):99-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00008-4
  36. Colligan MJ, Cohen A. The role of training in promoting workplace safety and health. Psychol Workplace Saf 2004:223-48.
  37. Huang Y-H, Sinclair RR, Lee J, McFadden AC, Cheung JH, Murphy LA. Does talking the talk matter? Effects of supervisor safety communication and safety climate on long-haul truckers' safety performance. Accid Anal Prev 2018;117:357-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2017.09.006
  38. Karasek Jr RA. Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: implications for job redesign. Adm Sci Q 1979:285-308.
  39. Johnson JV, Hall EM. Job strain, work place social support, and cardiovascular disease: a cross-sectional study of a random sample of the Swedish working population. Am J Public Health 1988;78(10):1336-42. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.78.10.1336
  40. Demerouti E, Bakker AB, Nachreiner F, Schaufeli WB. The job demands-resources model of burnout. J Appl Psychol 2001;86(3):499. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
  41. Smith PM, Mustard CA. Comparing the risk of work-related injuries between immigrants to Canada and Canadian-born labour market participants. Occup Environ Med 2009;66(6):361-7. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2007.038646
  42. Lay AM, Saunders R, Lifshen M, Breslin C, LaMontagne A, Tompa E, et al. Individual, occupational, and workplace correlates of occupational health and safety vulnerability in a sample of Canadian workers. Am J Ind Med 2016;59(2):119-28. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22535
  43. Harrell FE. Regression modeling strategies, with applications to linear models, survival analysis and logistic regression. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2001.
  44. Andersson T, Alfredsson L, Kallberg H, Zdravkovic S, Ahlbom A. Calculating measures of biological interaction. Eur J Epidemiol 2005;20(7):575-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-005-7835-x
  45. Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S. Confidence interval estimation of interaction. Epidemiology 1992:452-6.
  46. Smith TD, DeJoy DM. Occupational injury in America: an analysis of risk factors using data from the General Social Survey (GSS). J Saf Res 2012;43(1):67-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2011.12.002
  47. Griffin MA, Neal A. Perceptions of safety at work: a framework for linking safety climate to safety performance, knowledge, and motivation. J Occup Health Psychol 2000;5(3):347. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.3.347
  48. Leitao S, Greiner BA. Organisational safety climate and occupational accidents and injuries: an epidemiology-based systematic review. Work Stress 2016;30(1):71-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2015.1102176
  49. Kines P, Andersen LP, Spangenberg S, Mikkelsen KL, Dyreborg J, Zohar D. Improving construction site safety through leader-based verbal safety communication. J Saf Res 2010;41(5):399-406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2010.06.005
  50. Mullen JE, Kelloway EK. Safety leadership: a longitudinal study of the effects of transformational leadership on safety outcomes. J Occup Organ Psychol 2009;82(2):253-72. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317908X325313
  51. Zohar D. Modifying supervisory practices to improve subunit safety: a leadership-based intervention model. J Appl Psychol 2002;87(1):156. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.156
  52. Zohar D, Polachek T. Discourse-based intervention for modifying supervisory communication as leverage for safety climate and performance improvement: a randomized field study. J Appl Psychol 2014;99(1):113. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034096
  53. Rothman KJ, Gallacher JE, Hatch EE. Why representativeness should be avoided. Int J Epidemiol 2013;42(4):1012-4. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dys223
  54. Ebrahim S, Davey Smith G. Commentary: should we always deliberately be non-representative? Int J Epidemiol 2013;42(4):1022-6. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyt105

Cited by

  1. Psychosocial and Ergonomic Conditions at Work: Influence on the Probability of a Workplace Accident vol.2019, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2519020
  2. Exploring the Contributory Factors of Confined Space Accidents Using Accident Investigation Reports and Semistructured Interviews vol.10, pp.3, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2019.06.007
  3. What Are the Occupational Risks in Forestry? Results of a Long-Term Study in Slovakia vol.16, pp.24, 2019, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244931
  4. Optimization Model for Planning Set of Measures to Prevent Occupational Injuries in Machine-Building Enterprises vol.50, pp.1, 2020, https://doi.org/10.2478/jok-2020-0008
  5. Rework Causation that Undermines Safety Performance during Production in Construction vol.146, pp.9, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001902
  6. Effectiveness of safety training interventions for supervisors: A systematic review and narrative synthesis vol.63, pp.10, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23163
  7. Proposed Occupational Vulnerability Index COVID-19 vol.8, pp.4, 2019, https://doi.org/10.4236/odem.2020.84014
  8. Development of a Conceptual Framework for Occupational Safety and Health in Palestinian Manufacturing Industries vol.18, pp.3, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031338
  9. Maternity Protection at Work and Safety Climate: The Perceptions of Managers and Employees in Three Healthcare Institutions in Switzerland vol.6, pp.1, 2019, https://doi.org/10.16993/sjwop.149
  10. Forms of Supervision and Control Over Compliance with Labor Legislation and Labor Standards in Ukraine vol.21, pp.1, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1515/gj-2020-0017
  11. COVID-19 event strength, psychological safety, and avoidance coping behaviors for employees in the tourism industry vol.47, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.04.017
  12. A mixed-method investigations of work, government and social factors associated with severe injuries in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operations vol.138, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105244
  13. The Effect of Work Safety on Organizational Social Sustainability Improvement in the Healthcare Sector: The Case of a Public Sector Hospital in Pakistan vol.18, pp.12, 2019, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126672
  14. Workplace Organizational and Psychosocial Factors Associated with Return-to-Work Interruption and Reinjury Among Workers with Permanent Impairment vol.65, pp.5, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxaa133
  15. Working Conditions Influencing Drivers’ Safety and Well-Being in the Transportation Industry: “On Board” Program vol.18, pp.19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910173
  16. The Impact of Adverse Employment and Working Conditions on the Risk of Workplace Injury in Canada vol.12, pp.4, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.07.002