COMPLIANCE WITH SAFETY BEHAVIOR AMONG INDUSTRIAL WORKERS: ANY EFFECTS OF TRAINING AND LEVEL OF EDUCATION?

¹Okonkwo Ejike A., ²Okoro Chinwendu M., and ³Nwandu Ikechukwu B.

¹Department of Psychology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu,

²Department of Guidance and Counseling, African Thinkers Community of Inquiry College of Education, Enugu

³Department of Public Administration, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu

E-mail: aejyke@yahoo.com

Abstract: This study examined the effects of training and level of education on compliance with safety behavior among industrial workers. Thirty two participants comprising 16 trained and 16 untrained industrial workers between the ages of 24 to 52 years (M= 38.41, SD= 6.19 years) were systematically sampled. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (1998) training manual and Geller (1998) Behavior-Based- Safety (BBS) training guideline were used for the training (treatment). Safety Behavior Compliance Checklist was used for data collection. A Two-Way randomized between-groups factorial design was used while a Two-Way ANOVA F–test was applied as a statistical test for data analysis. The results revealed that training yielded a significant effect on compliance with safety behavior among industrial workers, F (1, 28) = 21.92, p <.05 level of significance while level of education yielded no significant effect on compliance with safety behavior among industrial workers, F (1,28) = .056, p > .05 level of significance. These outcomes were discussed in the light of the practical effectiveness of safety training using behavior-based safety approach. Considering the outcomes of this study, it was concluded that safety training is one of the best approaches to effect behavioral changes in the workplace. Thus, it was recommended that employers of labor should engage in safety training of their workers in order to maximize the benefits therein. The findings also have practical implications for identifying safety training as an effective mechanism for cultivating safety behaviors in the workplace via compliance.

Keywords: Compliance, Safety Behavior, Training, Level of Education, Industrial Workers