Action errors and rule violations at offshore oil rigs: The role of engagement, emotional exhaustion and health complaints

Errors and rule violations at work can lead to adverse consequences such as increased non-productive time and reduced product quality, as well as accidents, injuries and even catastrophes. This study investigated psychosocial precursors of action errors and violations and postulated two main hypotheses: (a) there is a positive association between emotional exhaustion and action errors/violations, and health complaints and reduced engagement mediate this relationship (the “adverse pathway”); (b) there is a negative relationship between engagement and action errors/violations, and health complaints mediate the relationship (the “beneficial pathway”). Six hundred and fifty-three oil production workers from two oil rigs responded to a survey measuring the study variables. Findings from regression analyses supported the hypotheses, except for the expected mediation of health complaints of the emotional exhaustion and action errors/violations relationship. Additional findings were that temporary contractor workers reported a lower level of action errors/violations than permanent employees did, and that reported action errors and violations increased with reported overtime hours.