Threat perception and the readiness to participate in safety programs

Abstract

Abstract Reacting to a perception of threat, workers can become fatalistic or increase their readiness to participate in plant safety programs. A field study of 396 production workers at eight factories tested key relationships derivable from this assumption. Workers were found to be particularly sensitive to presumed personal jeopardy from existing safety hazards. These threat perceptions were tied to previous encounters with accidents and to training for a specific task. In contrast, occupational climates seen as supportive to safety efforts did not effect personal threat evaluations. Safety instruction and co‐worker support were established as complementary factors that moved workers toward an activist path of participation rather than a fatalistic acceptance of an existing situation. While relationships were primarily investigated on an individual level, special conditions at certain enterprises were found to influence worker willingness to become involved in safety endeavors.