Dimensions of interpersonal relationships and safety in the steel industry

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper extends theories explaining the influence of social determinants on workplace safety. Specifically, we applied social capital theory’s emphasis of trust, shared norms, and faithfulness to obligations to the outcomes of at-risk behavior and perceptions of a safe work environment. Data provided by 395 employees of a major steel company supported the hypothesis that shared employee norms predicted both perceptions of work environment safety and at-risk behavior, trust in supervisor predicted perceptions of a safe work envi-ronment, and belief in management’s safety values predicted at-risk behaviors. KEY WORDS: workplace safety; social capital theory; safety culture. Injuries and death resulting from workplace accidents remains one of the most costly factors, both personally and financially, in transacting business today. In 2001, there were over 3.9 million disabling injuries and 5,300 deaths in American workplaces1 (National Safety Council, 2003) costing over $132.1 billion—a figure exceeding the combined profit