Development of a Theory-Based Safety Climate Instrument

This study described the development of a safety climate instrument for employees at three mini-steel mill locations in the U.S. The instrument was validated by structural equation modeling using AMOS and measured safety climate at a specific “point in time” to assess the safety culture of the industry. The Hall Safety Climate Instrument was developed using a three-construct theoretical framework of the theory of planned behavior. Reliability of the instrument was established using Chronbach’s Alpha, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The instrument was designed, piloted and field tested at three mini-steel mills to assess employee perceptions of safety climate in a high-hazard industry. Managers and supervisors participating in the study self-reported a significantly higher safety climate than other participating employees. Individuals self-reporting no previous work-related injuries achieved a higher safety climate score than employees who self-reported previous work-related injuries.