Accidental outcomes: attitudinal consequences of workplace injuries

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Human Resource Management

Background:

• Occupational injuries can significantly affect employee attitudes and behaviors.
• Understanding the attitudinal consequences of workplace accidents is crucial for organizational well-being.
• Existing models may not fully capture the complex relationship between injuries, attitudes, and behavioral outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a model linking the occurrence and severity of occupational injuries to employee attitudes.
• To examine the mediating roles of perceived lack of influence and distrust in management.
• To investigate the impact on job dissatisfaction, turnover intentions (exit), and union perceptions (voice).

Main Methods:

• Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed attitudinal outcomes model.
• Data from 9,908 employees were analyzed using the 1995 Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey.
• The model's robustness was assessed through replication across eight distinct occupational groups.

Main Results:

• The model demonstrated strong support concerning the occurrence of occupational accidents.
• Accidents led to perceived lack of influence and distrust in management, predicting job dissatisfaction.
• Job dissatisfaction, in turn, predicted exit (turnover intentions) and voice (union instrumentality).

Conclusions:

• The occurrence of workplace accidents significantly influences employee attitudes, job satisfaction, and behavioral intentions.
• The model provides a robust framework for understanding the attitudinal fallout from occupational injuries.
• The model showed less support when considering the severity of accidents, suggesting further research is needed.