A hierarchical model of multidimensional safety culture and its influence on safety performance: evidence from structural equation modelling.

چکیده اصلی

PURPOSE: Safety culture is widely recognised as a critical determinant of occupational safety performance; however, its multidimensional structure remains insufficiently validated as an integrated higher-order construct. This study aimed to (i) validate a multidimensional second-order safety culture model comprising psychological, behavioural, and situational dimensions; (ii) examine the structural relationships among these dimensions and their influence on safety performance; and (iii) identify demographic and organisational predictors associated with safety culture outcomes across Malaysian industries. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 40 safety and health subject matter experts representing the oil and gas, manufacturing, service, education, and regulatory sectors in Malaysia. Data were collected using a previously validated Safety Culture Questionnaire. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.78 to 0.90. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to assess the hierarchical relationships among psychological, behavioural, and situational safety dimensions, while random-effects regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors of safety outcomes. RESULTS: The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability and convergent validity, with Composite Reliability (CR) values ranging from 0.82 to 0.86 and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values ranging from 0.55 to 0.60. Situational Safety exhibited the strongest construct performance (CR = 0.86; AVE = 0.60), followed by Psychological Safety (CR = 0.84; AVE = 0.58) and Behavioural Safety (CR = 0.82; AVE = 0.55). Safety rule compliance showed the highest standardised loading (λ = 0.736), while safety attitude (λ = 0.502) and safety training (λ = 0.391) emerged as the strongest indicators of psychological and behavioural safety, respectively. Random-effects regression analysis revealed that Master's degree holders (β = 0.10, p = 0.01), PhD holders (β = 0.12, p = 0.02), Safety and Health Practitioners (β = 0.10, p = 0.01), and individuals actively involved in occupational safety and health activities (β = 0.10, p = 0.01) reported significantly higher safety outcomes. Behavioural and situational dimensions demonstrated stronger contributions to safety performance than psychological factors. CONCLUSION: This study empirically validates a hierarchical multidimensional safety culture model comprising psychological, behavioural, and situational dimensions. The findings demonstrate that behavioural practices and situational workplace conditions are the primary drivers of safety performance, while psychological factors provide an important attitudinal foundation. The validated model offers a robust evidence base for developing targeted, multi-level interventions to strengthen safety culture and improve occupational safety performance across high-risk industries.

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