Where the Safety Rubber Meets the Shop Floor: A Confirmatory Model of Management211 Influence on Workplace Safety

摘要

The role of management in establishing a safe work environment remains a topic211u001ethat receives less attention in the literature than it deserves. Many authors 211u001ehave focused on safety programs and associated indications of program effects. 211u001ePrescriptive articles advocating various management behavriors abound. However, 211u001ethere is little empirical evidence that validates the important role management 211u001eplays in establishing a climate that sustains safe job behaviors. There is even 211u001eless information about how management influences the safety atmosphere of the 211u001eworkplace. This paper presents a model that links management support, 211u001eorganizational climate, and self-reported safety outcomes. Confirmatory factor 211u001eanalysis results indicate that managerial influence on safety behaviors varies as 211u001ea function of management role (manager/supervisor) and safety outcomes (safety 211u001econditions/safety compliance). The authors developed the model on data collected 211u001ein 1992 and confirmed it on data collected in the same organization (the Federal 211u001eAviation Administration's Logistics Center) in 1995. Results underscore the 211u001eimportant role management plays in maximizing workplace safety.