A moderated-mediated model of youth safety
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2018-0394 |
| Published date | 04 November 2019 |
| Pages | 1866-1885 |
| Date | 04 November 2019 |
| Author | Deborah McPhee,Al-Karim Samnani,Francine Schlosser |
| Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour,Global hrm |
A moderated-mediated
model of youth safety
Deborah McPhee
Department of Organizational Behaviour,
Human Resources, Entrepreneurship and Ethics,
Brock University, St Catharines, Canada, and
Al-Karim Samnani and Francine Schlosser
Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
Abstract
Purpose –Workplace injury and death of young persons are important concerns. The purpose of this paper
is to focus on the mediating role of safety behaviours underpinning the relationship between perceived safety
climate (PSC) and injuries, and the moderating roles of safety-specific transformational leadership (SSTL),
general transformational leadership (GTL) and training in influencing the mediation, for young workers.
Design/methodology/approach –An exploratory, online questionnaire was completed by 367 university
students employed in various industries. Data were analysed using moderated mediation.
Findings –Safety behaviours mediated the relationship between PSC and injuries. SSTL moderated the
relationship between PSC and safety behaviours, but GTL did not. Training did not positively moderate the
relationship between safety behaviour and injuries, yet may still inform us on the training by referent others
since safety behaviour mediated the relationship between PSC and injuries when SSTL, GTL and training
were high.
Research limitations/implications –A student sample was utilised, but was appropriate in this context
as it is representative of the type of workers being studied. Longitudinal data with larger diverse data sets
should be incorporated.
Practical implications –Business owners must utilise both forms of leadership to promote a safe
workplace. HR and H&S professionals must continue to encourage this promotion.
Social implications –Safety training and leadership are important for policy makers and regulators to
reduce workplace injuries for youth workers.
Originality/value –This study is the first to test youth H&S using moderated mediation. Safety specific
and general forms of leadership and training are important predictors.
Keywords Training, Leadership, Quantitative, Youth, Safety climate, Injuries
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Research on workplace safety, which has been increasing over the past two decades,
continues to gain momentum as researchers try to resolve the black box paradox related to
this inquiry. At an organisational-level, safety remains a major concern as it impacts on
direct and indirect costs (Neal and Griffin, 2006). Annually, the costs associated with poor
occupational health and safety practices is estimated to be 3.94 per cent of global gross
domestic product (ILO, 2017). More importantly, workplace safety that is not addressed can
result in occupational accidents, which can cause important social and economic problems
by loss of life and physical injuries, impacting on the well-being of individuals. According to
the ILO, 2017), there are 2.78m deaths per year, with about 374m non-fatal work-related
injuries and illnesses each year.
The injury and death rate of young workers is particularly distressing. Young workers,
defined by the ILO (2017) as ages 15–24, are typically new workers, entering the workforce
for the first time or holding temporary jobs. Teens are injured at a rate of at least two times
higher than adults in some occupational sectors (NIOSH, 2006), and new workers to a job are
three times more likely to be injured during their first month than an experienced
worker (Ontario Ministry of Labour, 2016). Disturbingly, these numbers are known to be
Personnel Review
Vol. 48 No. 7, 2019
pp. 1866-1885
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-10-2018-0394
Received 10 October 2018
Revised 7 January 2019
8 February 2019
Accepted 4 April 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
1866
PR
48,7
under-reported from young workers’due to their lack of knowledge of the reporting process
and hesitation to report hazards and risks for fear of reprisal and job loss (Tucker and
Turner, 2017). In a comprehensive study of adolescents under the age of 17, Perritt et al.
(2017) reported 942 youth under the age of 18 died on the job from 1994–2013.
Unequivocally workplace injury and death of young persons is an important concern.
Over the past decade, researchers have responded and the studies on safety related to young
workers have become more prolific, diverse and interdisciplinary (e.g. Runyan et al., 2012;
Turner et al., 2015). Studies have identified situational correlates of work-related injuries
such as work pressure (Breslin et al., 2007), gender differences in risk exposure (e.g. Breslin
and Smith, 2005), the role of parents in developing children’s safety attitudes (Runyan et al.,
2009), and the prevalence of work-related safety training among employed young people
(Zierold et al., 2012). However, there is much more to learn about young workers and how to
reduce the amount of injury and death to which they may be exposed.
Occupational“health and safety is a key area covered by HRM”(Boyd, 2001,p. 439), given
that health and safetyissues tend to fall within the jurisdictionof HRM departments. Indeed,
many workplace outcomes that are primarily important for HRM, such as absenteeism,
sickness, injuries and accidents and turnover, have been found to be directly related to
occupational health and safety in the workplace (e.g. Christian et al., 2009; Dannaand Griffin,
1999). HR managers,along with line managers, are responsible for ensuringa safe climate for
employees, whichhas led to important HRM researchon safety climate (e.g. Clarke, 2006a,b).
Moreover, HR Managers advise and guide line managers asto how to implement a safe work
climate (Clarke, 2006a, b). Thus, it is important to understand the type of leadership
behavioursthat may be associated with improved healthand safety outcomes. In light of this,
we examine two important and relevant leadership styles: GTL and SSTL.
Although there is no guarantee of an injury-free organisation, leaders can employ
behaviours and practices to set the toneand climate around how vigorously the organisation
creates and sustains a focus on the prevention of exposure to serious hazards (Krause et al.,
2010; Stricoff, 2007). A recent meta-analysis on occupational safety by Pilbeam et al. (2016)
reported that leadership plays the most important role in assuring workplace safety.
Training is one of the most effective strategies for improving workplace safety (Colligan
and Cohen, 2003). Health and safety training for new workers may help reduce the risk of
injury in the first weeks in a new job, and perhaps carry through into later years of working.
Training by referent others should consider interactions between employers and parents,
employers and teens, parents and teens, and teens and their peers as they relate to work
practices and safety (Runyan et al., 2012).
Our research objectives consider workplace safety for young workers in two ways. First,
we attempt to further develop our understanding of leadership theory in a safety context by
including general transformational leadership (GTL), in conjunction with safety-specific
transformational leadership (SSTL), as moderators between perceived safety climate (PSC)
and safety behaviours. Second, we include training as another moderator, asserting the
importance of referent others. Including moderators addresses a call for extending the way
we test relationships (Zohar, 2010).
We begin by framing our model in relevant literatures related to leadership and safety.
We develop hypotheses, followed with a discussion of our research design. We then present
the findings of our research. Our discussion section will highlight the uniqueness of our
findings in relation to the extant literature. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the
limitations and implications of this research.
Leadership, safety climate and safety behaviour
Workplace safety has seen a proliferation of research studies measuring various
relationships of GTL (Bass, 1985) with such constructs as safety climate and safety
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