Safety self-efficacy and internal locus of control as mediators of safety motivation – Randomized controlled trial (RCT) study

Abstract

Behavioral factors play a fundamental role in preventing occupational injuries and accidents. Previous studies have shown that engagement in safety behavior is influenced by workers’ safety motivation. However, understanding of the cognitive factors that contribute to safety motivation is lacking. In this study, we examine internal safety locus of control and safety self-efficacy as mediators of the effects of a safety intervention on safety motivation. In 2016, 464 students from eight vocational schools participated in a school-based cluster randomized, controlled intervention study conducted in Finland. In the multiple mediation model investigated using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, participation in the safety intervention predicted significant increases in both safety-related self-efficacy and the internal safety locus of control. The intervention also predicted significant increases in safety motivation. The model had no significant direct path from the intervention condition to safety motivation when the mediators were included in the model, which indicated full mediation. The indirect effect of safety intervention on safety motivation via the internal safety locus of control was statistically significant. These results indicate that the internal safety locus of control mediated the effect of the intervention on safety motivation. Therefore, the effect of a safety intervention on safety motivation was dependent on the internal safety locus of control being an intermediate factor. We propose that modifying the safety locus of control is a potential avenue for increasing safety motivation.