Modeling the impact of safety climate on process safety in a modern process industry : the case of the UAE's oil-refining industry

This study examines the psychometric properties of process safety and models the relationships between top management commitment to safety (Model 1), top management safety practices (Model 2), and supervisory safety behavior (Model 3). It is hypothesized that these determinants are positively related to process safety. Data were provided by 180 workers in an oil refining company in the UAE. The results show high reliability in the overall process safety score and dimensions (employees’ engagement in safety, employees’ safety performance, and safe working environment). Confirmatory factor analyses indicate that 12 items can be combined into a higher-order process safety factor model. The findings from the controlled models demonstrate that top management commitment to safety, top management safety practices, and supervisory safety behavior are positively and significantly related to process safety and its dimensions. By contrast, in the freely estimated model, top management commitment to safety and top management safety practices are not significantly related to process safety. Overall, process safety has very good psychometric properties, suggesting that it can be used for safety research and future research related to psychological–behavioral safety.