A cross-validation of safety climate scale using confirmatory factor analytic approach

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Psychology
• Industrial Hygiene

Background:

• Inconsistent factor structures have plagued safety climate research.
• A validated safety climate scale is needed for reliable measurement.
• Understanding safety climate is vital for workplace accident prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the stability of a safety climate scale's factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis and cross-validation.
• To identify key factors influencing safety climate in the U.S. grain industry.

Main Methods:

• Developed a safety climate scale through literature review, item pool generation, expert review, and pilot testing.
• Conducted a cross-sectional survey of 722 U.S. grain industry workers.
• Employed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and cross-validation techniques.

Main Results:

• The developed safety climate scale demonstrated adequate reliabilities and item discriminative power.
• Criterion and construct validity were supported through statistical analyses.
• A consistent factor structure was confirmed in both calibration and validation samples.
• Management commitment and supervisor support were identified as significant influences on other safety climate dimensions.

Conclusions:

• The study identified the omission of management commitment and supervisor support's influence as a reason for previous inconsistent findings.
• The validated safety climate scale provides a framework for organizing accident prevention efforts.
• Emphasizes the critical role of management commitment and supervisor support in shaping employee safety perceptions.