The Impact of Interpersonal Value Facets on Safety Culture: The Mediating Role of Safety Caring

Abstract

In today’s organizational landscape, cultivating a robust safety culture is essential, particularly in high-risk sectors such as construction and utilities. The present research explores how several interpersonal value facets, including harmony value, respect and trust, caring and understanding, and safety caring overlap with one another and shaped the MEPCO’s safety culture. Drawing on social exchange theory, this study demonstrates how promoting specific positive organisational practices can encourage reception of these positive safe behaviours and thus, promote a positive safety climate. The research adopts cross-sectional research design where data is gained through questionnaires from the MEPCO employees, and then the data is analyzed by applying Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Consistent with the hypothesized effects, the analysis establishes the harmony value, respect and trust and caring and understanding factors of safety caring as being closely related. The safety caring component’s powerful influence over safety culture demonstrates the significance of emotionally sensitive and friendly work climates. This paper also brings contributions to the safety culture literature addressing relational aspects and offers practical recommendations for sectors characterized by high hazards and severe consequences to them.