Modelling the predictors of intention in workplace safety compliance of a multi-ethnic workforce

This paper investigates the main drivers of intention, as enunciated by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), to comply with safety practices among a multi-ethnic workforce of a steel fabrication yard in Singapore. A total of 341 male workers were surveyed on their safety attitude and habits. The participants' ages ranged from 19 to 60 years. Work experience ranged from 0 to 21 years. The survey questionnaire was translated from English into Tamil, Indian, Chinese, and Burmese, and back translated prior to administration in the 5 languages. The constructs measured were attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and habit (which the authors introduced as an adjunct to the classical TPB). A TPB-based model was developed by path analyses using SPSS AMOS, revealing relationships among these predictors of intention to comply with safety procedures and protocol. Fit statistics of the model were good, accounting for 75% of the data's variance. PBC and subjective norms were found to be statistically significant direct predictors of intention. The relationship between intention and its predictors can be described by the structural equation: Intention = 0.10 (Attitudes) + 0.56 (PBC) − 0.05 (Habits) + 0.31 (Subjective Norms). The model also affirmed the indirect influence of habit on intention, through the constructs of perceived behavioral control and attitudes, implying that workers perceive safety compliance as largely attributable to factors within their control. This cross-sectional study warrants rigorous follow-up longitudinal research before the conclusions can be generalized.