The organisational antecedents of individual safety behaviour in the U.K. offshore oil and gas industry

This thesis identifies the organisational antecedents of individual safety behaviour in the workplace, particularly rule violations and was conducted in the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Study 1a is a review of incident reports using Tripod methodology to understand the relative importance of human factors causes. This revealed that unsafe acts, in particular procedural violations, were the most frequent immediate cause of accidents. Study 2 took a proactive approach to determine the frequency and type of rule breaking prevalent in the UK oil and gas industry. Study 3 developed and tested a model of the organisational antecedents of individual rule breaking behaviour. This revealed that the two independent variables, Organisational Features (Work pressure, Job Satisfaction, Safety Discussion and Satisfaction with Safety Management System Activities) and Social Safety Norms, (Others Approval of Shortcuts and Relationship with Supervisor), were associated with self-reported rule breaking. Study 4 was based on, appraisals of safety leadership and leadership style by subordinates and self-reports from the most senior managers in the company. This revealed that a charismatic leadership style is associated with a stronger perceived commitment to safety; whilst managers with a more passive style were perceived more negatively. Overall, the evidence presented in this thesis highlights the organisational influences on committing violations and the importance of managing rule breaking to accident prevention. However, to achieve this requires a focus at the workgroup and leadership level, as well as the traditional management system and individual worker-focused approaches.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo