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Injunctive safety norms, young worker risk-taking behaviors, and workplace injuries
Simon Pek1, Nick Turner2, Sean Tucker3
1Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|June 23, 2017
Summary
Injunctive safety norms (ISNs) from parents, supervisors, and coworkers reduce young workers' risk-taking and injuries. Friend and sibling norms had mixed effects, while teacher norms showed no association with risk-taking.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Youth Development
Background:
- Young workers face elevated risks of workplace injuries.
- Social norms, particularly injunctive safety norms (ISNs), influence individual behavior.
- Understanding the sources of ISNs is crucial for targeted safety interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between various sources of ISNs (parents, siblings, friends, teachers, supervisors, coworkers) and young workers' risk-taking behaviors and workplace injuries.
- To identify which sources of ISNs are most influential in shaping safety-related conduct among young workers.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for interventions aimed at reducing workplace risks for young employees.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale survey of 11,986 Canadian young workers (mean age 17.90 years, 55% males).
- Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the associations between multiple sources of ISNs, self-reported risk-taking behaviors, and workplace injuries.
- ISNs were categorized into non-work-related (parents, siblings, friends, teachers) and work-related (supervisors, coworkers).
Main Results:
- ISNs from parents, supervisors, and coworkers were associated with reduced risk-taking behaviors and fewer injuries, with supervisor ISNs having a direct protective effect.
- ISNs from friends were linked to increased risk-taking and injuries.
- ISNs from teachers were not associated with risk-taking, while sibling ISNs showed a protective effect against injuries but not risk-taking.
Conclusions:
- Social influences from parents, supervisors, and coworkers play a significant role in mitigating young workers' risk-taking and preventing injuries.
- Interventions should leverage positive influences from parents, supervisors, and coworkers to promote safe work practices among youth.
- The differential impact of various social sources highlights the need for tailored safety strategies in occupational health psychology.
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