Understanding the Role of Job Stress in Safety Climate in a Dairy Industry using Structural Equation Modeling

Background and purpose: The safety climate refers to employees’ perception of safety which can be affected by job-related stress in the workplace. This study aimed to assess the safety climate and investigate the relationship between job stress factors and safety climate dimensions in a dairy industry. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The data was collected using two self-report questionnaires including the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicator tool. After removing the incomplete questionnaires, 164 questionnaires were selected for statistical analysis. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to investigate the association of the study variables. Results: Most job stress factors and all were correlated to the safety climate dimensions. The highest correlation was detected between job stress factors and dimension of management safety priority, commitment, and competence. Among job stress factors, role (r=0.522, P<0.001) and managerial support (r=0.452, P<0.001) had the highest relationship with this dimension. SEM showed job stress had a significant effect on safety climate (B = 0.52, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The job stress dimensions could be effective in the safety climate. Besides, management and peer support as well as high job demands could decrease stress. Thus, improvement of job stress could promote employees’ safety behaviors and improve their perception of the organization’s safety management system.