Effectiveness of Safety Training and the Reduction of Job Stress
Introduction
Background and Significance
Concerning the work place, multiple studies have been conducted, focusing on stress
management and stress reduction. These styles of stress intervention (stress management and
stress reduction) coincide with the task of reducing job stress. The existence of stress within a
work place is inevitable; however, the levels of stress perceived within a work place can be
manageable.
One way in which stress can be managed is through the intervention of safety training.
Safety training, in present research, has proven to increases job performance, as well as
increasing job productivity and sales. Other benefits correspondent with safety training includes
the prevention of job-related diseases and accidents. An underlying factor though, aiding in the
success of most safety training studies, is the variable of motivation and attitudes (Morrison,
2011).
Unfortunately though, research r pertaining to safety intervention and the effect of
perceived job stress has been limited (Kiam, 2012). However, further research exploring this
topic could possibly yield significant findings relating to how safety training has an effect of job
stress.
Statement of the Problem
The purpose of this study’s to investigate the effect of safety training on job stress.
Safety training within many circumstances, reduces safety incidents, and is compliant with
transforming safety culture. However, job stress, by definition, is the harmfully physical and
emotional response occurring from a poor match between job demands and capabilities/resources
within a work place (Khalathari, 2011).
Literature Review
Stress, is a cognitive and physiological response, occurring when an individual feels specific
challenges or circumstances has exceeded their coping skills. When stress is related to
components or some particular element of a job/work environment, then the stressor is
referred to as job stress (Kiam, Samavtyan, Poorabdiyan, & Jafari, 2012). Job stress is not a rare
phenomenon, nor mal-researched. Three stressors are associated with job stress, job factors,
individual factors, and organizational factor; each responsible for enhancing an individual’s level
of stress within a job or work environment (Ali, Noreen, Khurram , Chuadary, Nadeen,
Jamshaid, & Farman, 2011). Tendencies of individuals displaying higher levels of job stress
generally have a greater risk of encountering occupational accidents. Kiam (2012) provides
significant evidence of relationships existing, linking job stress to incidence of accidents.
Underlying the issue of job stress and occupational accidents, attitudes of employees towards
safety issues are questioned. Can attitudes, concerning safety issues, influence variables
contributing to the occurrence of accidents (Kiam, 2012)? Or will a new systematic approach,
entailing new management or redesigning of the system, provide stress reduction (Blair and
Seo, 2007)?
Simplistic in nature, the term safety attitude refers to the beliefs, values, and emotions
circulating safety issues (Blair and Seo, 2007). Reflecting characteristics of responsibility and
commitment towards safety issues, safety attitudes can be useful in the evaluation of effective
safety training (Kiam, 2012). Determining the effectiveness of a safety training program,
several variables must be taken into consideration. Blair (2007), defines safety training as being
a structured activity, emphasizing on instilling consistent reproductive behaviors, minimalizing
or exempting variations, which will increase efficiency, providing greater work conditions.
Safety training aims to facilitate learning, ideally encouraging workers to become
knowledgeable of their profession. Training attempts to inhibit workers with new skills,
enabling the worker to transfer their new skills into performing tasks in a specific way.
However, this transfer process must be approached delicately, eliminating possibilities of
retrogressive tendencies. Typically, inadequacy issues towards safety training will occur when
management either does not conduct safety training, when safety training is conducted but
ineffective, or when training is delivered well but not integrated within the workplace (Blair,
2007). These management styles, overall are ineffective and counterproductive. For training to
improve performance, the new behaviors must be engrained into the work culture through the
support of management (Blair, 2007). After all, “application is the catalyst for learning that
enables the learner to become fluent” (Blair, 2007, 47). For even the most impressive of
training pitches/deliveries can be determined as ineffective if the knowledge and skills learned
do not transfer to the workplace
Performance appears to be a determinant variable, depicting whether training
intervention will be effective or successful. Perceived as an individual level variable,
performance influences several aspects within an organization or industry (Ali, 2011).
Encompassing positive relationships between job stress and employee commitment, employee
commitment positively relates to performance (Ali, 2011). Converted through training, training
is considered nothing more than an activity, however, performance is a combination of a
training activity, integrating a desired behavior, attained through ongoing achievement or
expectations (Blair, 2007). Focusing on transferrable training, an appropriate enforcement on
activities should be implemented (Blair, 2007). Enforcing activities related to safety training
will allow individuals to maintain skills learned within training, reducing performance issues
contributing to occupational incidents. Embedding this concept of safety training, pertaining to
enforcing activities, into an organizations culture will ideally improve individual performance
(Blair, 2007).
Despite the effectiveness of most safety training interventions exemplifying stress
Reduction though, sometimes safety training interventions can also foster stress (Blair, 2007).
Perceived as being the solution to every safety performance issue, occasionally perception of
safety training can be counterproductive. Blair (2007) states that failure to solve the real
problem existing within an organization through safety training interventions, can cause
overtraining and irrelevant training to occur. Both occurrences, whether overtraining or
irrelevant training, contributes to job stress, resulting in lower job satisfaction (Ali, 2011).
Depending on the circumstance, multiple strategies can be used to intervene in employee
motivation or performance. Blair (2007) suggests worker engagement, individual coaching, and
improving working conditions can be just as successful as safety training.
A primary example of an effective training intervention reducing stress can be
annotated from Kiam’s study. Kiam (2012) conducted a study pertaining to effective safety
training interventions and there reduction on job stress. Using a stratified random sampling
method participants were randomly assigned to a control group, stemming from an industrial
company. Fifty participants were selected, differing in subgroups and classes. Half the
participants received training, while the other half was not given training. Within the study,
safety attitudes were assessed through self-report/perception inventories. Reporting a
significance level of .05, between perceived job stress and attitudes towards safety, the training
group and non-trained group (control group) results, differed significantly in attitudes towards
safety issues. Pre-measured and post-measured tests were given to participants within the
training and control group, resulting in another significant finding, inferring differences in
perceived job stress between the two groups does exist. A third significant finding was also
found, coagulating that safety training had a positive effect on attitudes towards safety issues
(p = .36). Thus, inferring that the training program was not a predicator of job stress (P = -.24).
Statement of Research Hypothesis
Kiam’s (2012) previous study, researched the effects of safety training on job stress;
however, it was not clear on whether or not safety training reduced job stress. Instead, emergent
questions concerning the mediators or variable of motivation and attitudes surfaced. These two
variables play a critical role within the success of safety training (Morrison, 2011). However,
does motivation or a presiding attitude have a stronger impact on the reduction of job stress? Or
does a successful safety training program provide skills essential for relieving employees of
different stressors associated with work? Therefore, it is hypothesized that an effective safety
training program/intervention can reduce perceived job stress.
Method
Participants
Participants for this study were recruited using convenience sampling through the
dispersal of questionnaires, given to food servicing employees, in the Morris University Center,
Vadalabene Center and the Skywalk Cafe at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s
campus, in Edwardsville, Illinois. The criteria of the participants consisted of being currently
employed, receiving some form of safety training prior to working at their place of employment.
Eighty participants were selected and grouped into one of two categories. All
participants will be eighteen or older. Participants will need to have received a high school
diploma, working in a food service area on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus.
There might be a slight difference in participants concerning gender; however, the male to
female ratio should almost be equivalent to one another.
Instruments
The effectiveness of safety training will be measured by an attitude survey, known as the
Health and Safety Attitude Survey. Consisting of 22 items, scored on a four point scale from
strongly agree, agree, disagree, to strongly disagree, the Health and Safety Attitude Survey will
measure thirteen components: work conscientiousness, fatalism, leadership, safety
consciousness, role overload, work pressure, job safety perception, supervisor safety perception,
coworker safety perception, management safety perception, safety program and policies
perception, interpersonal conflicts at work and job involvement. Found within the survey, a
sample item would state, “I feel my department is flexible in adjusting work assignments
according to employee safety considerations.”.
Determining the employees’ level of stress, the Job Stress Survey (JSS) will be utilized to
survey the amount of self-perceived stress felt by participants (Pinkney, 1999), Being known as
a widely used psychological instrument for measuring job stress, the JSS requires a minimum of
a junior high school education. This basic comprehensive test is aimed towards adults of all
ages, asking questions directly towards experienced job stress, severity and frequency of mishap
or injury occurrences, and organizational support (Pinkney, 1999). This survey consists of 60
items, using a 0-9 scale, with 10 subscales. A sample item within the survey is, “in the last
month, how often have you felt nervous and stressed.”
Research Design
A casual-comparative research design will be used for this study. The design is
illustrated in Table 1 below.
Table 1
Groups
Independent Number of
Dependent
variable
Experimental Motivated
group
Control
group
Not
motivated
participants variables
40
Health
and Safety
Attitude
Survey,
Job Stress
Survey
40
Health
and Safety
Attitude
Survey,
Job Stress
Survey
As indicated in Table 1, the dependent variables--whether individuals acquiring safety
training were motivated or not motivated, was studied. Prior to starting on the two segments
administered (Health and Safety Attitude Survey, and the Perceived Job Stress Scale), the
demographic section was completed, automatically placing the surveyed into a group (motivated
or not motivated). After completion of the surveys, participants will be grouped, based on
certain demographic notations. The data found from the surveys will then be computed,
allocating whether or not the participants' attitudes towards safety training have changed
(positively, negatively, or neutral), and if more perceived stress was found within the motivated
or not motivated group..
Directed towards determining whether safety training in general, regardless of motivation
while being trained, reduces job stress, the nature of this study could eliminate questions or
concerns pertaining to whether or not motivation is a factor contributing to the reduction in job
stress or just a correlation derived from various tests. If answered truthfully, the data should
yield significant findings; however, if rushed based on an employee having prior engagements,
the survey might not be completed or answered truthfully, hindering possible findings.
Procedures
Participants will be asked to sign a form of consent. Confirming the participant’s
willingness to participate within the study, a short packet, containing a demographic segment
followed by two surveys, will be administered. This packet will be presented in a paper-and –
pencil format. Participants will be supplied with necessary writing utensils. Upon completing
the packet, the participant will be debriefed about the nature of the study, and thanked for their
contribution towards the study.
Data Analysis Plan
Health and Safety Attitude survey, and the Perceived Job Stress Scale, in both groups
(motivated, not motivated) will be coded and analyzed in SPSS 15. Results from the two surveys
will be analyzed using an independent samples t test. If the calculated p value is smaller than
.05, the hypothesis will be supported. However, if the p value exceeds .05, the hypothesis will
be rejected.
Time Schedule
Time schedule for project is presented in Figure 1.
Proposal is completed
and sent to IRB
Participants are surveyed
Data is analyzed, begin
working on results,
discussion & limitation
section.
Aug 15-Sep 30,
2012
XXXXX
Oct 15-Nov 14,
2012
Nov 15-Dec 14,
2012
Dec 15
2012
XXXXX
XXXXX
Final report is due
XXXXX
I’m not too certain on what you are expecting for this section. The preparation of the
proposal should take two to three weeks. This process requires a thorough search, for relevant
literature, to comprise a literature review. Followed by, a project proposal, and a submission to
the graduate schools Institutional Review Board. If the proposal is approved by the panelists on
the IRB, the study will commence, surveying participants within the second week of October.
The surveys will be administered as stated within the procedure segment of the methods section.
After collecting the required data (60 participants), a data analysis will be ran within the second
week of November. By the second week of December, the final report will be written, revising
possible grammatical errors, computing a results section, and inputting a discussion and
limitations section.
References
Ali, F., Karamat , M., Noreen, H.,Khurram , M., Chuadary, A., Nadeen, M., Jamshaid,
H., Farman, S. (2011). The effect of job stress and job performance on employee’s commitment.
European Journal of Scientific Research. 60(2), 285-294.
Blair, E., Seo, D. (2007). Safety training: Making the connection to high performance.
Professional Safety .52(10), 42-48.
Kiam, F., Samavtyan, H., Poorabdiyan, S., Jafari, E. (2012). How safety training
decreases perceived job stress: The effect of improvement in employees’ attitudes towards safety
issues. Far East Journal of Psychology and Business. 6(1), 46-59.
Pinkney, J. W. (1999). Job Stress Survey. In C. D. Spielberger & P. R. Vagg (Eds.), The
fifteenth mental measurements yearbook. (pp. 499-501). Lincoln, NE: The University of
Nebraska Press.
Wu, Y. (2011). Job stress and job performance among employees in the Taiwanese
finance sector: The role of emotional intelligence. Social Behavior and Personality. 39(1), 21-32.
DOI 10.2224/sbp.2011.39.1.21.