Safety culture: analysis of the causal relationships between its key dimensions.
BACKGROUND
Several fields are showing increasing interest in safety culture as a means of reducing accidents in the workplace. The literature shows that safety culture is a multidimensional concept. However, considerable confusion surrounds this concept, about which little consensus has been reached.


METHODS
This study proposes a model for a positive safety culture and tests this on a sample of 455 Spanish companies, using the structural equation modeling statistical technique.


RESULTS
Results show the important role of managers in the promotion of employees' safe behavior, both directly, through their attitudes and behaviors, and indirectly, by developing a safety management system.


CONCLUSIONS
This paper identifies the key dimensions of safety culture. In addition, a measurement scale for the safety management system is validated. This will assist organizations in defining areas where they need to progress if they wish to improve their safety. Also, we stress that managers need to be wholly committed to and personally involved in safety activities, thereby conveying the importance the firm attaches to these issues.
University of Oviedo, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Contabilidad, Avda. del Cristo, s/n, 33071, Oviedo, Spain. beatriz@uniovi.es
Beatriz
B
Fernández-Muñiz
José Manuel
JM
Montes-Peón
Camilo José
CJ
Vázquez-Ordás
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001290:Attitude; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D015279:Organizational Culture; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*