Understanding factors influencing workers’ unsafe behaviors through social network analysis in the mining industry

Abstract

Background. In this study, we aimed to discover why workers engage in unsafe behaviors and reach a deep understanding of all causes influencing unsafe acts among workers in a mining industry. We also aimed to determine which causes play a more important role in the occurrence of unsafe acts. Methods. First, we determined the unsafe acts through observation and then investigated the factors affecting them based on semi-structured interviews. In order to identify the most important causes, we utilized centrality indicators including the degree and betweenness centrality of the social network analysis using UCINET version 6.0. Results. In total, 3058 unsafe acts were observed and 85 causes, classified into 14 factors, were found to influence the behavioral intention of workers. In this study, inadequate supervision, with the highest degree of centrality, proved to be of great influence on performing unsafe behaviors. In addition, inadequate training, with the highest betweenness centrality, was determined as the main intermediary in the mining industry under investigation. Discussion and conclusion. The findings indicate that workers’ unsafe acts are affected by different causes, leading to significant implications for policy-makers seeking to reduce unsafe behaviors and to improve workplace safety in the mining environment.