Relationship Between Work-Related Stress and Accidents: Moderating Role of Safety Factors

Abstract

Work-related stress has been identified as a risk factor for accidents according to the inadaptability theory of accident causation. The same theory says that increasing adaptability can reduce accidents. So, safety culture can be expected to be a moderator in the relationship between work-related stress and errors or accidents (as a composite construct). A survey was conducted among 431 employees from various industries using the job stress index, safety culture scale, and workplace error-accident history scale with the aim of testing if safety culture mitigates the relationship between workplace stress and errors/accidents. Work-related stress and errors/accidents correlated significantly, r=.18, p<.01. However, safety culture was not found to moderate their relationship. The conclusion is that a safety culture may not reduce the accidents caused because of work-related stress, and alternatives need to be sought. However, other studies with more methodological rigor or more objective data are needed to verify this conclusion.