Who reports low safety commitment levels? An investigation based on Chinese coal miners

Safety commitment is very important for the safety of coal miners. Based on one-to-one interviews with 707 coal miners in Chinese state-owned coal mining enterprises and an exploratory factor analysis, we determined the dimensions of coal miner safety commitment. The different effects of demographic variables and organizational/work-related variables on coal miner safety commitment and its dimensions were investigated using a one-way ANOVA. Our study showed that coal miner safety commitment is a three-dimensional concept, which comprises safety attitude commitment, safety behavior commitment, and safety results commitment. Coal miner safety commitment and its dimensions differed significantly with respect to demographic and organizational/work-related variables. We found that coal miners with a low safety commitment level tended to be localized and they were distributed mainly in groups of underground front-line coal miners, young coal miners, and coal miners with middle and higher degrees, low underground work seniority, poor physical condition, and low income levels. This study provides practical guidance (e.g., recruitment, personnel promotion, employee assistance program) to help managers address the present situation and to improve the safety commitment of coal miners, as well as enhancing the organizational management policy.