The structure of an organization on the behaviour of an individual or employee is a crucial area in organizations classified as industries with high risk. This is thus implies that human-related accidents do take place in such organizational context (Maurino, et al, 1995). One such industry which the study sought to study is the power sector which has experienced increase frequency in human related accidents while at the same time experiencing a decrease in machine related accidents due to its complex systems and cutting-edge technology used in the industrial processes (Wiegmann & Shappell, 2003; Shappell et al., 2007). According to Maurino et al (1995), industrial accidents which are human-related are more common than machine related accidents these days than in the past.
According to Wiegmann & Shappell (2003), industrial accidents which are human-related tend to cause tremendous hazards and damage to individuals or employees leading to loss of lives in extreme cases and high operational cost to the industry concern. It is estimated in 2002 by the National Safety Council of US that the total cost of injuries that are work-related and deaths recorded for the period 2001 totaled $132.1 billion and the number of days lost amounted to $130 million. Intangible costs associated such as psychological damage and physical suffering to individual employees and families, loss of community morale and the diminished ability to perform social roles are excluded from the cost.
Human error has been named as the major cause of about 85% of industrial accidents and incidents which means that substantial monetary and personal losses are incurred by individuals and communities as a result of the work-related injuries (Duffey & Saull, 2004; Dekker, 2005).
Accident investigators have named and identified the major cause of all industrial accidents and incidents as human error having accounted for about 85% of industrial accidents (Shappell & Wiegmann, 2000).
Several studies however point to how organizational factors influence the health and safety of employee behaviour at workplace however, Helmreich & Merritt (2001) in their study have traced the organizational factors affecting individual’s health and safety behaviors and further indicated that safety behaviors in the workplace can be achieved through strong organizational health and safety culture. It would therefore be useful to identify the organizational factors that contribute to safe behaviors among employees performing in high-risk industries. This study aims to identify the influence of organizational health and safety culture on individual’s safety behavior in the work environment at VRA/NEDCo.
