Investigating factors that influence individual safety behavior at work.

INTRODUCTION A qualitative study was conducted to investigate the factors that influence individual safety behavior at work. METHOD Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from a variety of occupations. RESULTS The analysis revealed several organizational and social factors that explain why individuals engage in unsafe work practices. CONCLUSIONS The influence of organizational/social factors on safety behavior were discussed. The results suggest that important organizational factors, in addition to job design and engineering systems, may be overlooked when identifying the causes of workplace accidents. Such factors include early socialization, and the need to portray a positive image. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY The implications for management and industry are discussed.

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