Assessing the Relationship between Safety Culture and Occupational Accidents: A Case Study in a Processing Industry Using Structural Equation Modeling

Background and Objective: Human error is the leading cause of accidents in industries. The present study aimed to evaluate the safety culture and model the factors affecting it in a process industry using the structural equation modeling method. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, safety culture was assessed using a 10 dimensions' questionnaire constructed by researchers with a Likert scale. This study was conducted in the petrochemical industry in 2021. Questionnaires were distributed among 312 employees, and 308 questionnaires were completed. SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0 were used for data analysis. Results: The safety culture score was calculated at 3.35. The results of SEM demonstrated that the factor loadings of the effect of income, education, and work experience on safety culture were 0.322, 0.445, and 0.328, respectively, and the factor loadings of the effects of education, work experience, and age on accident experience were -0.336, -0.312, and -0.214, respectively. The relationship between safety culture and accident experience had a factor loading of -0.477, and GFI was obtained at 0.97. Conclusion: The results of the safety culture assessment indicated that this organization had a positive safety culture, with a high score being related to the dimensions of utilizing protective equipment, training and understanding of issues, and the commitment of managers and supervisors. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that education, income, and work experience all had a positive impact on safety culture. Accident experience was inversely related to such factors as age, education, and work experience, and safety culture was likewise inversely correlated with accident experience.