Linking basic human values, risk perception, risk behavior and accident rates: The road to occupational safety

Abstract

To improve occupational safety, it is necessary to consider both management and individual approaches. The individual approach includes internal factors such as basic human values, risk perception, risk behavior and experience of accidents; the aim of this study is to observe the link between these. 104 workers from the forging and casting department of an Indonesian military tools manufacturer participated voluntarily in the study. They were asked to complete a set of questionnaires, consisting of a portrait value questionnaire to assess personal basic human values, a risk perception and safety questionnaire to assess risk perception and risk behavior, and a self-reported accident questionnaire. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and bivariate correlation were applied to observe the links between basic human values, risk perception, risk behavior and accident rates. The results show that the basic human value that influences risk perception is that of power. Risk perception correlates with risk behavior, and risk behavior correlates with accident rates. The implications of the results are that occupational safety can be achieved through individual approaches based on basic human values and risk perception.