Organizational Safety Performance Research Articles

Human Factors Determinants of Licensed Aircraft Engineers That Influenced Organizational Safety Performance

The aim of this study is to discuss the relationship between human determinant factors which includes attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control for licensed aircraft engineers in an aircraft maintenance process. This is important as the aircraft maintenance process affects the safety performance for aircraft operations. Licensed aircraft engineers are the individual that certifies the maintenance release for all aircraft maintenance process that is a legal document and form part of the certificate of airworthiness. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) will play a significant role as the underpinning theory on the proposed model of the safety performance. It is needed as per the regulations to ensure that the aircraft is maintained accordingly and all systems are serviceable thus ensuring that the aircraft is fit for the intended flight. There are research gaps identified as per the literature review, as not many studies on aviation safety centered on licensed aircraft engineers. Emphasis are also given more on flight operations as compared to aircraft maintenance when it comes to aviation safety studies. As such this study is aimed at fulfilling those gaps and would contribute towards enhancing aviation safety.

Test of a safety culture model from a management perspective

Purpose – The importance of developing theoretical models and their empirical validation, capable of explaining safety performance within organizations, has been pointed out by the scientific community. Fernandez-Muniz, Montes-Peon, and Vazquez-Ordaz (2007) proposed a model that integrates dimensions considered as determinants of safety culture to explain safety performance, which was tested with Occupational Health and Safety technicians of Spanish companies. This study aims to verify if that theoretical model obtains empirical support in the Portuguese context, considering the supervisors’ perspective. In addition, it also aims to contribute to the adaptation of the measurement instrument, which allowed for the empirical test of the model in the Portuguese context. Design/methodology/approach – The study conducted is quantitative with a cross-sectional study design. In total, 174 supervisors at different levels of supervision, in different Portuguese companies from different activity sectors, participated in the study. Data were gathered through the Portuguese version of the instrument developed by the authors of the model (Fernandez-Muniz et al., 2007). Findings – The results partially confirm the proposed model wherein supervisors play a determinant role in the development of safety culture and thus in the safety performance of organizations. Originality/value – This study addresses one of the demands present in the literature, having empirically tested a model that aims to explain the safety performance of organizations, expanding its application to the management perspective and to a different national context. The results emphasize the role supervisors may play in the development of safer organizations.

When empowered nurses are under stress: Understanding the impact on attitudes and behaviours.

The present study examined the role of stress as a moderator on the indirect effect of structural empowerment, through psychological empowerment, on three important nurse-related outcomes: affective organizational commitment, nursing workarounds, and safety performance. The results demonstrated that structural empowerment and psychological empowerment were positively related to affective organizational commitment and safety performance, whereas neither were significantly related to nursing workarounds. Consistent with previous findings, structural empowerment was also positively correlated with psychological empowerment. Mediation models were predominantly supported, providing evidence for the expanded model of empowerment. Finally, all three moderated mediation models were significant, although the impact of stress on the nursing workaround process was contrary to what was proposed. Findings offer significant implications for both researchers and practitioners, particularly in relation to the importance of workplace empowerment, the role of stress, and the nature of the nursing workarounds construct.

Influence of Leadership Practices on Organizational Safety Performance

This study analyzes the reasons why leadership does not influence the counteraction to incidents (through the implementation of safety systems and technology), which cause serious injuries or deaths in US oil and gas companies. The modified Delphi method summarizes eight oil and gas industry experts’ consensus on how leadership can reduce workplace incidents and improve organizational safety performance. The study selects eight safety specialists and leadership experts in executive positions in the US oil and gas industry, who participated in three rounds of discussions regarding the impact of leadership practices on the effectiveness of the safe conditions and were interviewed through a series of questionnaires. The study identifies five key aspects that can help improve the safety process efficiency in the company and provide the basis for future research: empowering employees to stop dangerous operations; formation of effective health, safety and environmental management system; employees’ involvement in the formation of organizational safety initiatives, the creation of corporate culture in the company, the use of consistent behavior patterns in promoting safety improvements across the organization. The study concludes that preventing incidents and improving safety performance in an organization requires effective coordination of the five components, which, according to the experts’ evaluations are the most important in terms of organization development. Therefore, leaders and practitioners in this field, who often face safety performance challenges, should apply a safety ecosystem approach to prevent incidents from occurring and improve safety performance within their businesses. The study results contribute towards a deeper understanding of how organizational management can apply existing knowledge on compliance with safe working conditions to prevent incidents in the company using different strategies to counteract them. The study identifies the main limitations related to the use of the modified Delphi method. They include the difficulties in determining the optimal sample size and attracting a sufficient number of study participants. The second limitation is that due to fewer participants, the conclusion from the study represents the views of the participants which may vary if a sufficiently large number of participants took part in the study. Keywords: Incident Prevention, Leadership, Management System, Organizational Culture, Safety Culture.

The evolution of organizational safety culture: A theoretical study

The study of organizational safety culture can be divided into the static study and the dynamic study. Many of its static studies have been carried out which focused on its definition, structure, construction, assessment and its impact on organizational safety performance. Unfortunately, the dynamic studies of organizational safety culture focusing on its evolution are relatively few, and the satisfying model for the evolution of organizational safety culture based on organizational safety culture itself is still missing. The main objective of this paper is to build a model for the evolution of organizational safety culture based on organizational safety culture itself compared with the existing models for the evolution of organizational safety culture, and a new Safety Culture Maturity (SCM) model in the organization is built. Meanwhile, the routes of the evolution of organizational safety culture are put forward, including the natural evolution and the mandatory evolution.Keywords: organizational safety culture; evolution; Safety Culture Maturity

The influence of a goal programming approach for safety management practices on the performance of a selected Indian construction organization

Abstract The construction industry in India is the second most important contributor to its gross domestic product. However, high rate of accidents and fatalities have tarnished the image of industry in India. Although the industry contributes significantly to the Indian economy, safety management is the primary concern alongside with frequent workplace accidents. The role of safety management is vital to improve safety performance of an organization. The functions of safety management include planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling and coordinating safety activities with an aim to minimize accidents/injuries. Safety trainings, employee participation, compliance of safety procedures and motivational schemes are part of safety management which influences the overall safety performance. Several metrics were developed to measure the safety performance of an organization but not a single measure will reflect the overall performance. The present study considered parameters pertaining to the safety management which have influence on the safety performance of a construction organization in India. The parameters are analyzed by formulating a goal programming model. The results of the study suggests that much improvement is needed in the area of safety trainings and the revised targets were established.

Multilevel safety culture affecting organization safety performance: a system dynamic approach

Purpose Previous research studies have testified that safety culture positively affects safety performance. However, the progression by which safety culture affects safety performance has not yet been examined. Also, how safety culture affects the overall safety performance at different levels of the organization is yet to be explored. In order to address this issue, the purpose of this paper is to study the effect of multilevel safety culture upon safety performance over time. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual causal-loop diagram is constructed using the group model building approach to establish the relationship between safety culture components (e.g. psychological, behavioral and situational) and the factors associated with safety performance (e.g. risk level, safety behavior, unsafe conditions, unsafe acts and incident rate). Considering the dynamic nature and intricacy of the safety management system, the system dynamics approach has been employed to develop the model. Findings The results indicate that the safety culture at the tactical level (middle management) and operational level is much more effective than strategic level (top management) in ameliorating the safety performance of the organization. Research limitations/implications The scope of this study is limited to the effect of multilevel safety culture on safety performance. The focus is on the dynamics of personal, behavioral and situational factors of top management, middle management and workers to reinforce the safety performance of the organization. Future research can be protracted to build other models of safety. Practical implications First and foremost, the findings summarized in this paper can be implemented by organizations to achieve the total safety culture to upgrade safety performance. Originality/value This paper presents the holistic view of multilevel safety culture in an organization’s hierarchy. It shows how multilevel level safety culture in an organization interacts with the safety management system to enhance the safety performance of the organization.

Organization is also a “life form”: Organizational-level personality, job satisfaction, and safety performance of high-speed rail operators

Although studies have suggested that personality can forecast safety performance at the individual level, the link between organizational-level personality and safety performance is rarely considered. On the basis of the Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) theory, the present study investigated the direct and indirect effects of the organizational emergence of personality (Five-Factor Model) on individual-level outcomes (safety performance) in the high-speed rail industry. The sample consisted of 1035 high-speed rail operators in China. The results indicated that the effects of organizational-level personality on safety performance are similar to or stronger than the effects of individual-level personality. Specifically, organizational-level extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness have significantly positive relationships with individual-level safety compliance and safety participation, while neuroticism has a significantly negative relationship with safety compliance and safety participation; the effect of openness to experience was not significant. Moreover, in terms of indirect effects, job satisfaction mediated the links of the four personality constructs (extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness) with safety compliance and safety participation. These findings highlight the importance of organizational personality to improving employees’ safety performance in safety-critical organizations.

Leadership Approach in Occupational Safety: Taiwan Sample

Having an occupational health and safety management system does not completely guarantee the establishment of a safe working environment and reduction of occupational accidents. In addition to the management system, there is a need for leadership in occupational safety to carry out the operations and ensure the continuity of occupational health and safety activities. The conceptualization of occupational safety leadership plays an important role in the explanation as to how to implement occupational health and safety management system and improve organizational safety performance. In this regard, contemporary leadership theories introduced three approaches. These theories that contributed to the development of occupational safety leadership are as follows: "Transformational Leadership Theory", "Transactional Leadership Theory" and "Delegative Leadership Style" (Laissez-Faire). In addition, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was formed to define leadership behaviors.In this study, Theory of occupational safety leadership developed in the Laboratory of Taiwan University was evaluated, the distinctive characteristics of the theory were determined, and the applicability of such characteristics in Turkey were examined by conducting a literature review. The applicability of occupational leadership theory in Turkey was negotiated by evaluating the outcomes.

Prioritization of Human Factors Variables in the Management of Major Accident Hazards in Process Industries Using Fuzzy AHP Approach

Background: Human factors play an important role in process safety and can have dramatic effects on the safety performance of organizations. In addition, human factors are very important elements in safety management system and management of major accident hazards in process industries. Many variables of human factors may affect the safety in process industries, which need to be addressed in a more holistic approach. Objectives: This study was designed to determine the most important variables of human factors in the management of major accident hazards in process industries through the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) approach in 2017. Methods: After specifying human factors variables including the job, the individual (personal), and the organization factors and related sub-factors, fuzzy AHP approach was proposed to determine the weights and the degree of importance of factors and related sub-factors. Factors and related sub-factors were weighted using triangular fuzzy numbers in pairwise comparisons and fuzzy linguistic variables. Results: Organization factors got the highest relative weights (0.381) in comparison with other studied factors. Among organization sub-factors, safety culture had the highest importance (0.33). Among individual sub-factors, competence of personnel is recognized as the most important sub-factor (0.37). The highest relative weights for job sub-factors were obtained for ergonomic design and environmental factors (0.17). Conclusions: Determining and identifying the most important variables of human factors in process safety are very important for organizations. The present study demonstrates that organization factors are the most important variables in the management of major accident hazards in process industries with the application of fuzzy AHP. Safety culture, staff competence, ergonomic design, and environmental factors are the most important sub-factors.

Developing leading indicators-based decision support algorithms and probabilistic models using Bayesian network to predict kicks while drilling

Abstract Predicting a kick timely and efficiently is often a challenging task due to the complexities of drilling and other well intervention activities. This work proposes a leading indicators-based approach to assess drilling operations for predicting kicks and preventing blowouts. A cause-based methodology is proposed to develop sets of leading indicators for different categories and organizational levels. Leading indicators are divided into two broad sections – real-time indicators and long-term organizational safety performance indicators. With the real-time indicators, various decision support algorithms are developed which would help to understand a kick progression scenario effectively. Probabilistic barrier failure models for different stages of drilling are also developed to assess performance of primary well control barrier – hydrostatic head. To predict barrier failure events effectively, Bayesian network models are developed combining organizational, operational and real-time indicators. The probability distribution for observing changes in real-time parameters when a kick is in progression are also determined. This study would allow both predictive (causes to effects) and diagnostic (effects to causes) reasoning of kicks and blowouts for better understanding of well control system while drilling. Developed risk models enable informed decision making with a relatively clear picture of the risk of barrier failure and provide useful information on actions required to prevent escalation of well control events.

Impact of Ethical Leadership on Organizational Safety Performance: The Mediating Role of Safety Culture and Safety Consciousness

We examined a largely ignored but imperative dimension of safety literature by testing the impact of ethical leadership style on organizational safety performance. We also tested dual mediating paths of safety culture and safety consciousness in the relationship between ethical leadership style and organizational safety consciousness. Data (N = 230) were collected from a large public sector telecom company in Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the reliability and validity of the study scales and model fit. Preacher and Hayes’s (2008) macro of mediation was employed to test the direct and indirect paths proposed in the study. The findings suggest that ethical leadership has a positive impact on organizational safety performance. Partial mediating roles of safety culture and safety consciousness were also found between the dependent and independent variables. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

An Assessment Model of Owner Safety Management and Its Application to Real Estate Projects

Establishing a scientific and applicative safety management assessment system is crucial in improving safety performance of organizations. Currently, there are few studies on owners’ safety management assessment systems. Based on the behavioral-based safety theory, this paper explores the links among safety management system, safety management behavior, safety management state and safety performance, which constitute an assessment model that characterizes the features of safety management. It then proposes a safety management indicator system that applies to real estate owners. The applicability and effectiveness of the system is verified by a four-year case study with a real estate owner. Relationships between safety management system, safety management behavior, safety management state, and their main impacting factors are obtained. Results indicate that the assessment model makes safety evaluation clearer and demonstrates significant correlations between different safety management issues. Owners’ safety management system is established and implemented favorably under the safety management assessment indicator system. This paper presents a profound understanding of safety management assessment, in which the safety management assessment model and the indicator system is applied effectively in practice. To improve safety management level, specific theoretical and practical implications lead researchers and practitioners to pay more attention to safety management assessment.

Developing a Conceptual Model of Organizational Safety Risk:Case Studies of Aircraft Maintenance Organizations in Indonesia

Abstract In Indonesia, the rate of accident and serious incident of aircraft have reached alarming stage. National Transportation Safety Committee affirmed that human errors played the biggest role from period 2007 – 2013. Although there are several possible causes for human error, one of the most critical elements is the quality of Aircraft Maintenance Organization, especially the human resources.To get basic knowledge of human factor, the first step of this study is literature study. The literature reviews showed that there are at least four factors that influenced human errors. They are Organizational Design, Safety Climate, Safety Performance, and Safety Outcome. After the factors were discovered, the next step is choosing the methodology. Since most of the literatures used models to describe the situation, this study will use similar approaches. Ostroff et al Model (2003) and Christian et al Model (2009) are chosen among the model because they can represent the most accurate situations in Aircraft Maintenance Organization in Indonesia. To get an added value, after these two model are merged, Principle of Hoffman (2003) is used to give a better and upgraded model. The proposed model is then explained through six proposed hypotheses, in which two of them are the added values. To collect the suitable data for the model, the final step is deciding the operational variables which are described on the form of tables for each factor. Each variable is tested through sub-model. Method used for gathering data is questionnaire which uses Likert scale test. The result of Likert scale test and the sub-models will become the proposed model. The proposed model is expected to give Aircraft Maintenance Organization a better understanding on human error and make them focus their improvement on human factor more so that the rate of accidents and serious incidents in Indonesia can be reduced significantly.

A Proposed Relationship between Organizational Safety Practices and Safety Performance in the Manufacturing of Small and Medium Enterprises in Malaysia

Many studies have showed that 60 percent to 80 percent of all industrial accidents were likely due to human errors. Inability of employees to manage work overload, provide appropriate response, and conduct proper activities are the bases for human erors. Safety performance in SMEs is an issue of concern because of increasing accidents and injury rates. Due to the vulnerability of SMEs to workplace accidents and illnesses researchers have begun to develop a considerable interest in addressing the issue. The aim of this paper is to review related empirical literatures and emphasize the necessity to examine safety performance among manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia. This paper discusses the role of organizational safety practices that may have an influence on safety performance. Toward the end of the paper, a conceptual model illustrating the relationships between organizational safety practices and safety performance will be presented.

Examining pathways to safety and financial performance in hospitals: A study of lean in professional service operations

Healthcare operates in a complex professional service environment that faces challenges in delivering high quality and affordable care – a set of goals that some healthcare professionals believe are incongruous. To consider opportunities to achieve these important outcomes, this study examines the relationships among comprehensive lean orientation, internal integration, patient safety, and financial performance. This study draws on the professional services operations (PSOs) literature stream to explain and offer a means of addressing the complexity of healthcare delivery. Grounded in dynamic capabilities, this study develops a model for improving financial performance and patient safety in hospitals. Using structural equation modeling, the model is tested with survey data from 211 acute care hospitals in the USA that are matched with data from two other sources – objective patient safety data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and objective net income data from the American Hospital Directory. Results indicate that although a comprehensive lean orientation has a direct and positive impact on patient safety, it impacts financial performance indirectly through internal integration. The results have major implications for enhancing patient safety and financial performance in healthcare service organizations, and improving operations in PSOs more broadly.

Leading indicators of occupational health and safety: An employee and workplace level validation study

There is growing interest in advancing knowledge and practice on the use of leading indicators to measure occupational health and safety (OHS) performance in organizations. In response we present psychometric analysis of the Organizational Performance Metric – Monash University (OPM-MU), which is a recently developed measure of leading indicators of OHS with several adaptations made as part of our investigation. Based on a national survey conducted with 3605 employees in 66 workplaces from several major organizations in Australia, we applied classical test (exploratory factor analysis) and item response (Rasch model analysis) theories to conduct a psychometric evaluation of the OPM-MU. Results revealed that the OPM-MU displayed good psychometric properties and evidence for both construct and criterion validity at employee and workplace levels. The OPM-MU could be used as an initial ‘flag’ of the leading indicators of OHS and has the potential to be a benchmarking tool for workplaces both within and across organizations. This paper represents an important advancement in the field of leading indicators of OHS performance and demonstrates that the OPM-MU is a promising new tool with demonstrated reliability and validity.

Human Factors as Determinants of Marine Accidents in Maritime Companies in Nigeria

The capacity to address marine accidents could be enhanced through a thorough knowledge of what constitutes human factors and how they affect marine safety performance. This study investigated human factor issues that are responsible for maritime accidents in Nigeria and therefore gives maritime practitioners strategies for policy interventions. The study adopted a descriptive methodology, making use of survey design to collect data from 284 marine service operators in Nigeria. Data for the study was collected through semi-structured questionnaires, same were analysed through descriptive and inferential statistical tools such as mean, standard deviation, correlation and regression analysis at p<0.05. Results showed that nine human related factors are major causes of marine accidents; namely: poor crew interaction, crew fatigue, drugs and alcoholism, unsafe vessel speed, commercial pressure from management, complicated work processes, gap in working knowledge, faulty crew judgment and deliberate unruly behaviour; while five of them: crew fatigue, drugs and alcohol, unsafe vessel speed, faulty crew judgment and wilful behaviour of crewmembers, were significantly related to safety performance. The study established that human errors are contributory factors to marine accidents and relationships exist between them and safety culture, hence, human factors can predict safety performance in maritime organizations in Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that Marine Safety Performance Plan, which is part of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, be implemented in all maritime companies in Nigeria. Alcoholism, indiscriminate drug and substance use should be discouraged onboard while a stress management policy should be designed to handle work-related fatigue.

Using leading indicators to measure occupational health and safety performance

A study was conducted to advance the state of knowledge and practice on the topic of using leading indicators to measure occupational health and safety (OHS) performance of organizations. The specific research aims were to (1) describe the extent to which OHS practitioners understand leading indicators; (2) explore organizational practices pertaining to tracking, analyzing, and applying information provided by leading indicators to improve OHS performance; and (3) identify barriers and factors that enable the use of leading indicators. The study design included an expert panel and a quantitative survey to explore the views and experiences of OHS practitioners in relation to leading indicators. The findings suggest several important characteristics (e.g., actionability) that effective leading indicators need to possess and describe modifiable factors (e.g., commitment and technical knowledge of senior executives) that may be correlated with such characteristics. Overall, this study argues for continued effort to improve access to research and practical knowledge among OHS professionals as well as their executive leaders who seek to demonstrate continuous improvement of performance measurement strategies.

Knowledge exchange and learning from failures in distributed environments: The role of contractor relationship management and work characteristics

Learning from failures is vital for improvement of safety performance, reliability, and resilience in organizations. In order for such learning to take place in distributed environments, knowledge has to be shared among organizational members at different locations and units. This paper reports on a study conducted in the context of drilling and well operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, which represents a high-risk distributed organizational environment. The study investigates the relationships between organizations׳ abilities to learn from failures, knowledge exchange within and between organizational units, quality of contractor relationship management, and work characteristics. The results show that knowledge exchange between units is the most important predictor of perceived ability to learn from failures. Contractor relationship management, leadership involvement, role clarity, and empowerment are also important factors for failure-based learning, both directly and through increased knowledge exchange. The results of the study enhance our understanding of how abilities to learn from failures can be improved in distributed environments where similar work processes take place at different locations and involve employees from several companies. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.