Safety compliance on offshore platforms: A multi-sample survey on the role of perceived leadership involvement and work climate

Accident analyses and investigations regularly identify a lack of compliance with rules and procedures as a central contributing factor to workplace accidents. This underlines the importance of identifying the organizational factors that affect the level of safety compliant behavior. The purpose of the present study was to examine how workers’ perception of leadership involvement in daily work operations affects the level of safety compliant behavior among workers employed on offshore platforms operating on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The effect that leadership involvement exerts on safety compliance was measured both directly and indirectly through the intervening variable work climate. Using survey data from six different measure periods (N = 10003), exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis identified three dimensions of work climate; (1) workers’ competence and involvement, (2) role clarity and (3) follow-up of contractors. The following SEM analyses revealed that leadership involvement in daily work operations has a significant positive influence on the level of safety compliance on offshore platforms. The effect of leadership involvement was found to be both direct and indirect, mediated by the three work climate dimensions selected for this study. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.

► Leadership involvement has a positive direct influence on safety compliance. ► The effect of leadership involvement is mediated by the work climate. ► Leaders are important premise providers of a climate which fosters safety compliance.