Influence of Remoteness Variables on Mental Health, Fatigue and Safety Behaviour among Oil and Gas Workers

Abstract

The oil and gas industry is considered the backbone of economic and social development in many countries in the Gulf region. Work in this industry presents dangers and challenges, as it is usually undertaken in remote locations and difficult geographical environments, resulting in a relatively high workplace accident rate. Such harsh work environments necessitate low-risk work behaviour to improve organisational safety performance. Workers’ safety behaviour is crucial if the number of occupational accidents is to be reduced. Most oil and gas studies investigating the health and safety of workers have involved remote work environments which is potentially stressful because the workforce lives and works on-site (i.e., a single restricted location) for significant periods of time. There is no universally recognised definition of remoteness. A remote area can be considered as isolated geographically, socially and professionally. Kuwait was selected as the location for this study, due to its strategic location in the Gulf region. Oil and gas is Kuwait’s largest industry, accounting for nearly half the country’s gross domestic product. It is worth mentioning that oil-producing corporations in the Gulf region host the largest percentage of expatriate employees, far exceeding the percentage of local employees. The bulk of workers in this industry come from diverse Asian countries. Workers are typically relocated to a remote production site in a region foreign to them. They work in these remote sites for an extended period that varies from weeks to months, occasionally lasting a year or longer. The physical isolation, combined with the isolation from family, friends and familiar surroundings represents the definition of remoteness, a central concept in this research study. Based on the above definition of remoteness, two main concepts arise: physical isolation variables and occupational stressors. Physical isolation from family, friends and familiar surroundings and its variables were identified from studies conducted on fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) workers, migrants, university students and even elderly people. Physical isolation was represented by two independent variables: namely, social isolation and loneliness. Two occupational stressors - related to this study’s concept of remoteness – have been identified as responsibilities towards family and living environment. In sum, this study aimed to examine the effect of four remoteness variables, social isolation, loneliness, responsibilities towards family, and living environment, on workers’ mental health, fatigue and safety behaviour. In other words, the study investigated whether the remoteness variables affect workers’ safety behaviour directly or indirectly through the mediating role of mental health and fatigue levels. Safety behaviour was represented by levels of safety compliance and safety participation. To achieve the study’s objective, a conceptual model was developed comprising the remoteness variables along with the two mediating variables and safety behaviour. These four main components are linked by 12 research hypotheses that were established according to the proposed theoretical relationships. To validate the conceptual model, a quantitative research method was adopted. To empirically test and refine the conceptual model, a series of multivariate statistical approaches were employed to process the data, which were collected from 387 expatriate workers from an isolated oil and gas field site in Kuwait. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to uncover the smaller set of factors of the constructs. For example, mental health has two underlying factors; namely, anxiety and depression, whereas mental fatigue and physical fatigue were revealed as underlying factors of fatigue. Confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted to assess and confirm the validity of the factors derived from the exploratory factor analysis results. Multiple regression analyses were then applied to test the proposed hypotheses. Several key findings have emerged from this study, and the remoteness variables were proven to affect safety behaviour. 1- Regarding the direct effect: a) Physical isolation variables (social isolation and loneliness) had a direct negative influence on both types of safety behaviour (compliance and participation). b) Occupational stressors (responsibilities towards family and living environment) had a direct negative influence on safety participation behaviour. 2- Regarding the mediating role of mental health: a) Only anxiety mediated the relationship between loneliness and both types of safety behaviour (compliance and participation). b) Both anxiety and depression mediated the relationship between responsibilities toward family and safety participation. c) Both anxiety and depression mediated the relationship between living environment and safety participation. 3- Regarding the mediating role of fatigue: a) Only mental fatigue mediated the relationship between loneliness and both types of safety behaviour (compliance and participation). b) Both physical fatigue and mental fatigue mediated the relationship between responsibilities toward family and safety participation. c) Both physical fatigue and mental fatigue mediated the relationship between living environment and safety participation. The above findings provide empirical evidence in support of the key hypothesis that remoteness variables have negative effects on safety behaviour, while mental health and fatigue can act as risk factors.