Psychosocial Safety Climate, Workplace Safety Culture, and Safety Performance in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry.

Abstract

Psychosocial risk factors are increasingly recognised as determinants of occupational safety outcomes, yet quantitative evidence from Nigeria's petroleum sector remains limited. This cross-sectional survey of petroleum industry workers examined the influence of psychosocial safety climate, workplace stress, fatigue, safety communication, management commitment, organisational safety culture, and employee safety behaviour on safety performance. All constructs were measured with validated multi-item Likert scales, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression. All scales demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.84–0.89). The regression model explained 63.6% of the variance in safety performance (p < 0.001). Employee safety behaviour emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.57, p < 0.001), while organisational safety culture showed a marginal positive effect (p = 0.054). Organisational safety culture, employee safety behaviour, and safety performance were strongly inter-correlated (r = 0.66–0.77; statistical power > 0.99). These findings indicate that employee safety behaviour is the most proximal determinant of safety performance and is shaped by upstream psychosocial and organisational factors, underscoring the value of interventions aimed at strengthening safety culture and employee safety behaviours in the petroleum industry.