The impact of work demands and operational tempo on safety Culture, motivation and perceived performance in safety critical systems

Abstract

High reliability organizations (HROs) achieve high levels of safety performance through safety cultures grounded in trust and through reinforced norms and expectations that strengthen and motivate safety-related behaviors. Safety motivation and culture can be eroded by operational constraints, inadequate training, and job demands, but also mitigated by job resources such as adequate rest and preparation. Recent work has suggested that HROs can further enhance their reliability by marrying advanced analytical methods and diverse data sources and experiences. To that end, this work presents an exploratory partial least squares (PLS) model based on the Job Demands-Resources model that is used to consider the links between composite work demand factors and safety culture, safety motivation, and perceived safety performance in one HRO, the U.S. Navy. The model, based on 30 survey items (n = 3,803), suggests that attention to job resources that can bolster high levels of safety performance is important and consistent with safety practices in HROs. Job demands such as stress were found to be important safety motivators, as was sufficient rest. The results show the additive nature of job demands and resources, suggesting that they can support or diminish safety motivation and intent, consistent with previous studies.