Behavioral Predictors of Safe Diving Practices Among Aquaculture Workers: An Occupational Health Perspective

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Psychometrics
• Aquaculture

Background:

• Safe diving culture is crucial in aquaculture for preventing accidents.
• Understanding factors influencing safe diving practices is essential for risk management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a scale measuring safe diving culture among aquaculture divers.
• To examine individual, environmental, and organizational factors affecting safe diving behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Methodological design combining descriptive analysis and scale development.
• Online survey administered to 613 professional aquaculture divers in Türkiye.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS.

Main Results:

• Four factors emerged, explaining 57.7% of variance: pre-dive planning, in-dive behavior, equipment/environmental safety, and post-dive risk management.
• CFA confirmed the four-factor structure with excellent fit indices.
• High internal consistency (α = .851-.877) and SEM supported relationships among subscales.

Conclusions:

• The "Safety Behavior Scale for Aquaculture Divers" is a valid psychometric tool for assessing safety culture.
• The scale aids in evaluating self-reported safe diving behaviors.
• The study contributes to occupational health literature by analyzing diving safety through multiple dimensions.