Safety leadership and safety behavior in container terminal operations

Chin-shan Lu, Chung Shan Yang

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

180 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction: The importance of leadership for effective safety management has been the focus of research attention in industry for a few years. However, safety leadership in relation to self-reported safety behavior has rarely been examined. This research empirically evaluates the crucial dimensions of safety leadership in the context of container terminal operations. Method: Using survey data collected from 336 respondents working for five major container terminal companies in Taiwan engaged in container terminal operation, tally, and stevedore activities at international ports on the island. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the effects of safety leadership dimensions on self-reported safety behavior. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis identified three main dimensions of safety leadership, as measured on a safety leadership scale: safety motivation, safety policy, and safety concern. The results suggest that safety motivation and safety concern positively affect self-reported safety behavior, such as safety compliance and safety participation, and the safety policy dimension has a positive influence on safety participation. The study findings also reveal positive associations between safety training and self-reported safety behavior. The findings implications for increasing safety in container terminal operations and their contribution to the development of safety leadership are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-134
Number of pages12
JournalSafety Science
Volume48
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Container terminal
  • Safety leadership
  • Self-reported safety behavior

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
  • Safety Research
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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