Background
Unsafe behaviour and human error are important contributors to dangerous incidents and occupational injuries. For example, Shin and colleagues [
1] estimate that approximately 88% of workplace incidents in the construction industry are caused by unsafe behaviours, 10% by unsafe physical conditions and 2% by unforeseeable factors or ‘Acts of God’. Encouraging safe behaviour is therefore an important element of improving safety performance [
2]. Most behaviour-based safety researchers concentrate predominately on workers’ behaviours that can directly prevent workplace injuries and improve workers’ safety [
3]. However, it is not sufficient to focus exclusively on individual behaviour because organizational factors contribute to unsafe behaviours and errors, and directly to injury in some cases [
4]. Long working hours and high job demands are good examples of organisational factors; various studies have found that long working hours are associated with higher workplace injury rates and poorer worker productivity and well-being [
5]. Increased job demands are associated with more frequent unsafe behaviours [
6] and may contribute to injuries by exhausting employees’ mental and physical resources [
6,
7]. Unfortunately, a strong focus on analysing the short-term causes of incidents (in the time period immediately before they occur) may obscure the contribution of organisational factors to injuries and dangerous incidents [
8].
The growing incidence of occupational injuries and work-related deaths in Iran has raised concern about workers’ health and safety in many organisations. According to the Council of Labor Affairs’ 2010 annual report, the number of workers suffering injuries and sickness was highest in the petrochemical industry, where serious deficiencies in workplace safety, including equipment failures, were identified [
9]. The Iranian petrochemical industry is important for both economic and employment reasons. Iran is now the second largest producer and exporter of petrochemicals in the Middle East, with more than 54 petrochemical complexes [
10]. Iran has a 2.4% share of global production of petrochemical products in various types of polymeric materials, chemicals, and fertilizers. In addition, the annual rankings of the global top 100 petrochemical companies by the Institute of Cheminformatics Studies show that the Iran National Petrochemical Company ratings improved from 82 in 2004 to 39 in 2011 [
11].
The petrochemical industry is the most important and highest-earning in Iran. Petrochemical installations have high levels of risk due to the flammable materials processed and the severe consequences when major incidents occur [
8]. They are, because of the working, environmental or geological conditions, prone to dangerous incidents and deaths [
12], in which ineffective management practices and, in turn, unsafe work behaviour play important roles. In 2015, Norozi and colleagues [
13] reported that, over the preceding 10 years, more than 198 work-related fatalities occurred in Iranian petrochemical companies, principally because ineffective management systems failed to prevent major incidents. These deaths indicate that current management systems must be improved to more effectively prevent major injuries and accidents [
13]. To mitigate potential work hazards, it is critical to determine potential risk sources, assess their probabilities and intensities, and manage them effectively [
14]. Implementing appropriate measures is not just necessary to reduce the number of dangerous incidents and prevent workplace injuries, but also to improve work productivity and quality [
15,
16].
Another critical issue in managing safe behaviour in this industry is the development of educational interventions that minimize workers’ exposure to hazards and related risks. Safety training is an effective strategy for changing unsafe behaviours, discouraging false beliefs about safety, and preventing occupational accidents [
17]. However, understanding the key factors affecting safety is a prerequisite to identifying training needs and designing effective interventions [
9,
18].
Qualitative research focuses on understanding participants’ perspectives and the contexts in which these perspectives or views are situated [
19]. It is therefore a valuable way to identify factors that affect safety behaviour and inform the design of educational interventions. However, the authors could not identify any previous qualitative studies that have examined workers’ perceptions about factors affecting safe work behaviours in the petrochemical industry. Previous research has focused on quantitative assessment and methods to identify risk factors leading to unsafe work behaviour, and consequently work-related accidents [
14,
20]. Loosemore and Malouf [
21] reported that the main cause of occupational injuries and incidents in industrial settings is a lack of effective safety training interventions. Unfortunately, however, the absence of qualitative evidence on the factors affecting workers’ safety behaviour significantly constrains the development of effective safety training programs in the petrochemical industry. This study addresses this gap by using qualitative content analysis to identify factors that workers believe are associated with unsafe work behaviours in the petrochemical industry.
A small number of qualitative studies has, however, highlighted the importance of psychosocial and working environments, management systems, inadequate and outdated occupational health and safety training, safety communication strategies as major factors contributing to safety promotion in the petrochemical industries [
22‐
24]. A mixed-method, qualitative study was performed to explore occupational health and safety practices in a Malaysian petrochemical company. This study highlighted safety culture and the impact of psychosocial risks on occupational health and safety outcomes. Psychosocial factors and work-related stress are considered major occupational health concerns in the petrochemical industries in Malaysia. A policy review was undertaken and interviews were conducted with government officials, company managers, and key experts to explore their perceptions and views. Inadequate and out of date occupational health and safety (OHS) training was reported by middle management [
22]. Another qualitative interview study was conducted in a Norwegian petroleum company to explore the various ways the Health, safety and environment (HSE) concept is used and understood by managers and employees in one company in order for other industries to develop strategies, methods, and actions to promote the HSE performance [
23]. Nedzamba’s (2018) findings indicated that effective safety training and the establishment of efficient safety systems are likely to increase in the likelihood that workers will regularly report incidents and near-misses [
24].
The findings above suggest it is important to further explore the nature of safety risks in the petrochemical industry and the types of safety training programs that are likely to reduce injuries and dangerous incidents. This study addresses this gap by using qualitative content analysis to identify factors that workers in the industry report to be associated with unsafe work behaviours.
Given the increasing number of work-related incidents in the Iranian petrochemical industry, it is important to more fully understand workers’ perceptions of the factors affecting safe behaviour and how to promote and maintain it. The attitudes and experiences of workers, supervisors, and safety officials, in particular, are an important source of evidence for identifying the factors associated with the occurrence of dangerous incidents [
25]. Accordingly, the aims of this study are to (a) explore workers’, supervisors’ and safety managers’ perceptions of safety in a petrochemical company in Iran, and (b) identify factors that discourage safe behaviours.
Discussion
The purpose of this study was to explore workers’, supervisors’ and safety managers’ perceptions of safety at work in a petrochemical company in Iran and identify the factors that discourage safe behaviours. Using a qualitative approach, and conventional content analysis to interpret the data, this study found the most commonly cited the contributory factors to exhibit unsafe behaviours were: 1) poor direct safety management and supervision, 2) unsafe workplace conditions, 3) workers’ perceptions, skills and training, and 4) broader organisational factors.
The findings are valuable for researchers, safety specialists, and enterprises, as they often overlook potential hazards at workplace. Some results are consistent with the findings of previous studies [
9,
39‐
41], including the challenges of using PPE, the need for adequate and up-to-date safety training, high workloads contributing to safety procedures not being implemented and managed in an effective manner that facilitated their use in industrial settings. However, there has been limited safety research in the petrochemical industry aimed at identifying factors discouraging safe work behaviour, such as the studies by Cheng and colleagues [
9], Xue and colleagues [
42], Min and colleagues [
43], Hong and colleagues [
44].
Cheng and colleagues [
9] reported that the vast majority of accidents in petrochemical companies are associated with inappropriate and inadequate safety training. Appropriate and adequate training programs have a direct effect on workers’ safe behaviour. Therefore, to control potential hazards and reduce or prevent accidents, regular educational training and effective safety interventions should be provided to reinforce workers’ knowledge and raise their awareness about potential hazards in the workplace [
14,
45]. In addition, managers and employers should hold regular site inspections and meetings to check for high-risk work hazards. These strategies promote the safety conduct of workers and help prevent incidents from recurring [
9,
41].
Several studies have focused on the use of PPE [
45‐
48]. Both individual and organizational factors can affect whether workers use PPE or not. Probably more importantly, use of PPE is discouraged if it is ill-fitting, ineffective or impedes vision and situational awareness. Similarly, if production pressures are high and PPE slows work, it is likely to be discarded. Underestimating work hazards, over-confidence with routine tasks and increased workload may also discourage workers from PPE compliance. Organisational factors, such as prioritising safety and the importance and value the organization places on safety within the workplace influence the use of PPE [
9,
46]. It is also imperative that employers provide high-quality PPE that meets recognised standards [
49]. Some participants noted a lack of availability of PPE was a reason for not using it.
The findings also offered important new insights into safety in the petrochemical industry. For example, in relation to poor direct safety management and supervision, the participants referred that managers did not keep displaying their confidence and skills when dealing with safety issues. The lack of authority and power of the managers, no separate allocation of funds to improve safety and not providing adequate safety training at appropriate levels were also perceived as factors shape the context that contributes to unsafe behaviours and error occurrence. These findings are consistent with previous evidence that management should provide funding sources and adequate support to achieve safety goals [
50]. The ability of supervisors/managers to tackle safety issues when they arise and to display confidence and expertise when meeting safety challenges is often seen as a critical factor for promoting safety in high risk settings. Generally, managers need to have skills and traits in relation to safety. Managers’ concern for safety can function as a frame of reference for the workforce to guide appropriate task behaviours and can reflect managers’ commitment to workplace safety [
51].
Another significant finding relates to categories of the unsafe workplace conditions. Participants reported that their concentration was impaired by excessive noise levels and working under high temperature was also perceived as detrimental to working safely. Indeed, features of poor social working environments may operate as stressors and have been linked to perceptions of safety. Our findings provide additional support to existing findings that emphases the importance of safe workplace environment. For example, Zhang and colleagues [
52] identified poor working conditions as ranking second in terms of factors in their study that influence work safety.; only in a good work environment will the influence of other contributory factors of unsafe behaviours be reduced to a minimum. The importance of interactions between managers and workers was highlighted by this research. According to Peterson and colleagues [
53], conscientious senior managers are more likely to focus on the social relationships that managers or supervisors establish with their subordinates and create the positive working environment between them.
Work environment factors, such as resourcing levels, communication among staff, and working system, have the greatest effect on workers’ sense of belonging to the organisation and contribute to positive safety behaviours [
54]. When an organisation has a positive work environment, the levels of worker engagement in safety activities could possibly be enhanced [
55]. The staff can cope better with unexpected situations and handle challenges more effectively when they meet safety challenge in their job tasks. It motivates employees to continue their safety work and maintain their commitment [
56].
With regard to workers’ perceptions, skills and training, the majority of participants reported that doing common tasks and duties could contribute to higher risk taking. Empirical studies provide evidence that workers rely on their experiences to form risk perceptions [
48,
57,
58]. Workers may perceive they are not at risk while doing routine tasks. Workers often perceive risks in connection with new task demands and non-routine rather than with their routine tasks. As a result, risks associated with common responsibilities are frequently underestimated [
59,
60]. These qualitative findings are also in line with results of a recent study that indicates identification of hazards is the primary phase of the risk assessment process. Hazard identification, assessment, and control is a process to minimize the possible work-related injuries. When potential hazards have been identified in workers’ duties, the risks associated with those hazards must be examined [
61]. Based on the evidence, providing complete information about risks associated with working tasks is one of the most effective strategies for regulating workers’ safe behaviours, because workers often overlook risks when performing their work duties [
62]. Also, the finding that inadequate safety orientation for new workers may contribute to working in an unsafe manner is consistent with previous studies [
63‐
66]. New workers in the petrochemical industry are unfamiliar with the required precautions, working conditions and safety hazards, but may be fearful about asking questions. The present findings highlight the importance of considering supervisors as a potentially important source of improvement in new workers’ safety outcomes. This explanation implies that new workers’ risk-taking orientation due to different working conditions, which includes behaviours such as taking risks to get work done faster, was positively associated with workplace accidents [
63]. New workers may not be aware of the hazards in their new workplace or locations that have different hazards and they may feel pressured to perform tasks quickly to keep up with experienced workers or to adapt to their new work environment with little guidance. Tucker and colleagues [
64] reported that employers should provide young and new workers with adequate training as part of initial and ongoing job training.
The finding from this study regarding the need for greater sharing of previous experiences with hazards is as a key element that has a greater impact on safe behaviours of the workers which is in keeping with findings from a Korean study [
54] which reported that it is important for employees to share safety issues and personal experiences in their daily work and make suggestions on how to improve safety in the workplace.
In relation to broader organisational factors, some participants remarked that workers exposed to condescending safety supervision and workplace bullying are more likely to engage in risky and unsafe behaviours. These findings have been included in a British study [
67] in which safety professionals reported their experiences of workplace bullying and the extent to which they had been pressured to make risk based decisions. Employees who had experienced workplace bullying were more likely to engage in a broad range of dangerous and unsafe behaviours than those who had not [
67]. Several participants in the present study noted that their supervisor uses a condescending tone and makes threats to workers when safety problems occur and workers cannot criticize his behaviour, which causes a conflict between the workers and the supervisor. Many previous studies have linked bullying from supervisors with negative organisational consequences such as engaging organisation and employees in unsafe practices and increasing on workplace errors among employees in industry contexts. Work-related bullying plays a major part in occupational health impairments and safety issues that could result in long-lasting damage [
68]. Workplace bullying may cause health impairment outcomes, such as quantitative and qualitative job insecurity and loss of self-esteem and self-confidence that leads to unethical practices and occupational injuries [
69]. In concordance with other studies [
70], nurses who reported a higher frequency of perceived workplace bullying were found to have higher turnover intention, perceived more adverse outcomes to patient safety —for example, medication errors.
Some of the participants described how inadequate staffing could place workers at high risk for occupational accidents because it does not cover response to emergencies in the rotating shifts. This finding is in line with the responses from participants in a secondary analysis of data from the 2016 AWHONN nurse staffing survey, consequences of inadequate staffing can be quite serious and put patients at risk for preventable harm due to missed care [
71]. The results of a Korean cross-sectional survey suggested that nurses were overloaded at least in part by a high patient-to-nurse ratio. This overload was demonstrated by working overtime beyond their contracted hours and by leaving care activities undone. Inadequate nurse staffing and a heavy workload were associated with poor or fair patient safety and lower quality of care [
72].
Conclusions
The present study indicates that various types of personal, behavioural and environmental factors may discourage petrochemical workers’ from behaving safely. The responsibility of the individual is important to reduce or eliminate these risk factors for unsafe behaviours, but the role of management is vital to provide resources for safety work best promote workers’ commitment to safety. The resources include time for safety work, PPE and safety procedures, appropriate training and support provided by superiors, co-workers and safety professionals. Quantitative research studies are required to confirm our observations and expand the evidence to industrial outcomes. Work is in progress to examine complex relationships among the identified constructs. In future reports, we will present the findings as well as theoretical models that have been used to explain and predict safe behaviour in the workplace, both in the petrochemical industry and more generally to identify a theoretical model that fits with qualitative data and provides a suitable organising structure for using in petrochemical industries.
This study provides a deeper understanding of workers’, supervisors’ and safety managers’ perceptions and views and recommendations for addressing factors affecting safe work behaviours in the petrochemical industry that could be used to inform the design of educational interventions. Previous studies have been carried out to understand the key factors affecting safety in industrial settings with quantitative methods while workers’ perceptions are often overlooked. These insights offer important context to overcome the barriers that workers face to performing their duties safely.
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.