Abstract
This paper provides an examination of direct and mediated relationships among occupational stressors (responsibilities towards family and living environment), mental health (anxiety and depression), fatigue (physical and mental fatigue), and safety behaviour (safety compliance and safety participation). In this cross-sectional study, data were collected by means of a questionnaire among oil and gas workers (foreign employees working at a remote oil and gas field site located in Kuwait), during a two-month period (November–December 2018). Regression analyses (bivariate and hierarchical), carried out on 387 responses, were employed to test the links between occupational stressors, mental health, fatigue, and safety behaviour in the hypothesised model. The results provide support for the direct relationship in the model, in that both responsibilities towards family and living environment predicted safety behaviour participation. Further, the results provide partial support for the mediated relationships in the model, as mental health and fatigue were found to mediate the relationship of responsibilities towards family and living environment with safety participation behaviour. It is concluded that occupational stressors have a negative effect on safety behaviour, while mental health and fatigue can operate as risk factors. Given this, it is recommended that organisations need to enhance remote oil and gas workers’ safety behaviour by encouraging them to effectively balance their stress, mental health, and level of fatigue. This can be achieved by actions such as promoting spirituality, boosting workers’ resilience, providing recreational facilities and encouraging communications.
Highlights
In the oil and gas industry, safety is a highly important issue and a procedural problem.It is considered a high-risk industry because of the nature of the work [1]
Data for this article comes from a cross-sectional study investigating workplace occupational stressors, mental health, fatigue and safety behaviour among individuals who were working in Kuwaiti oil and gas projects and residing on camp next to their workplace
The results suggest that both occupational stressors only have a direct and negative influence on safety participation behaviour; Hypothesis 1 (H1) and Hypothesis 2 (H2) are partially supported
Summary
In the oil and gas industry, safety is a highly important issue and a procedural problem. It is considered a high-risk industry because of the nature of the work [1]. In some regions, the industry is acknowledged for its high levels of accidents and injuries, especially those related to psychological injuries [3]. Psychological injury is a broad term that refers to any form of mental ill-health caused by work stress. Occupational stress is defined as a negative emotional experience generated from demanding work conditions [5]. Long-term employment in an isolated location contributes to occupational stress levels [7]. It is worth noting that occupational stress is a feature of offshore life that originates from common sources and includes the interface between job and family, helicopter travel and the offshore living environment [8]
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