Mapping Safety Motivation at Work: Untangling the network of causes and consequences

A workplace injury can harm livelihoods and the mental health of employees, yet despite decades of safety interventions, work injuries remain a critical issue in Canada. This raises a critical question: What motivates people to be safe at work? Safety motivationan individuals willingness to engage in safe behaviorsis a key predictor of safety performance, making it a vital pathway for improving workplace safety. Yet, safety motivation is poorly understood and measured in diverse ways that reflect different theoretical perspectives (e.g, one-dimensional vs multi-dimensional view). This fragmented understanding limits insight into how different conceptualizations lead to different outcomes and are influenced by varying factors, creating a tangled network of findings. Thus, the proposed research aims to systematically map the conceptual landscape of safety motivation at work across theoretical frameworks using meta-analytic techniques to synthesize findings across multiple studies. Theoretically, this research will advance our understanding of safety motivation by applying a multi-dimensional lens to explain why individuals engage in safety behaviors. Practically, it offers actionable insights for designing work that fosters specific safety motives and guides the development of targeted training and communication strategies.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ellen Choi

Student:

Partner:

University of Sydney

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: