Being Present in Enhancing Safety: Examining the Effects of Workplace Mindfulness, Safety Behaviors, and Safety Climate on Safety Outcomes

Abstract

Due to the high personal and organizational costs associated with safety incidents, it is essential that we understand the trait predictors of safety behaviors which in turn impact occupational accidents and injuries. This study helps address this need by assessing the relationship between trait mindfulness and workplace injuries, as well as examining a mediating mechanism (safety behaviors) and situational moderator (safety climate) of this relationship. Using hierarchically nested data from employees within a large company in the petroleum distribution industry (N = 706 employees within 142 groups), our results suggest that trait mindfulness is related to workplace injuries, safety compliance, and safety participation and that this relationship between trait mindfulness and workplace injuries is mediated by safety compliance. Moreover, group-level safety climate moderates the effects of trait mindfulness on safety compliance and safety participation such that the best safety behavior occurs when both safety climate and trait mindfulness are high. These results indicate that trait mindfulness is an important trait predictor of safety behaviors and that it is a helpful personal resource necessary for a successful safety-focused organization.