How safety-related stress affects workers’ safety behavior: The moderating role of psychological capital

Abstract

Individuals’ unsafe behavior is commonly identified as an important causal factor in workplace accidents. Research has demonstrated the effect of work-related stress on work performance, while the effect of safety-related stress on safety performance has received little attention. This paper examined the predictive powers of safety-related stress and psychological capital (PsyCap) on safety behavior, and the moderating role of PsyCap on the safety-related stress–behavior relationship. Questionnaire survey data were gathered from 359 construction workers in China. Results showed that high safety-related stress would impair safety behavior in terms of safety participation (SP) but not safety compliance (SC). PsyCap’s positive influence on SC was stronger than that on SP. Furthermore, PsyCap moderated the relationship between safety-related stress and SP. For their sub-dimensions, it was found that (1) three selected safety-related stressors had negative influences on SP, while only safety role ambiguity had an effect on SC; (2) four sub-dimensions of PsyCap had stronger influences on SC than those on SP; (3) general PsyCap moderated the three safety-related stressors’ effects on SP; and (4) four sub-dimensions of PsyCap moderated the effect of general safety-related stress on SP. This research contributes to the conception of safety-related stress by demonstrating its validity and its negative effect on SP. It also contributes to the study on the mechanisms of SC and SP by clarifying the differential influences of safety-related stress and PsyCap and by considering their combined effects. Measures for improving SC and SP from the perspective of safety-related stress and PsyCap are discussed.