Accidental outcomes: attitudinal consequences of workplace injuries

A model of the attitudinal outcomes of the occurrence and severity of occupational injuries was developed and tested. The model postulates that workplace accidents result in a perceived lack of influence and a distrust of management, with the former also affecting the distrust of management. Both are hypothesized to predict job dissatisfaction. Exit (turnover intentions) and voice (perceptions of union instrumentality) are hypothesized as outcomes of job dissatisfaction. A sample of 9,908 employees was tested with the 1995 Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey database. Structural equation modeling provided strong support for the model with respect to accident occurrence, and the model was replicated across 8 different occupational groups. There was less support for the model with respect to accident severity.