title: Multilevel model of safety climate for furniture industries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Furniture companies can analyze their safety status using quantitative measures. However, the data needed are not always available and the number of accidents is under-reported. Safety climate scales may be an alternative. However, there are no validated Portuguese scales that account for the specific attributes of the furniture sector.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study aims to develop and validate an instrument that uses a multilevel structure to measure the safety climate of the Portuguese furniture industry.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Safety Climate in Wood Industries (SCWI) model was developed and applied to the safety climate analysis using three different scales: organizational, group and individual. A multilevel exploratory factor analysis was performed to analyze the factorial structure. The studied companies' safety conditions were also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Different factorial structures were found between and within levels. In general, the results show the presence of a group-level safety climate. The scores of safety climates are directly and positively related to companies' safety conditions; the organizational scale is the one that best reflects the actual safety conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SCWI instrument allows for the identification of different safety climates in groups that comprise the same furniture company and it seems to reflect those groups' safety conditions. The study also demonstrates the need for a multilevel analysis of the studied instrument.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Research Centre on Environment and Health, Allied Health Sciences School of Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.|R&D Centro Algoritmi, Engineering School, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: Matilde A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: R&D Centro Algoritmi, Engineering School, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Arezes
authors.affiliation: R&D Centro Algoritmi, Engineering School, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: Celina P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Leão
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D008297:Male; D066192:Manufacturing Industry; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D016272:Occupational Health; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011174:Portugal; D012449:Safety; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Furniture; multilevel; safety climate; safety conditions