Impact of empowering leadership on safety behavior and safety climate: Mediating and moderating role of safety monitoring

AlShemeili, H; Davidson, R and Khalid, K (2024) Impact of empowering leadership on safety behavior and safety climate: Mediating and moderating role of safety monitoring. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 22(4), pp. 1282-1305. ISSN 1726-0531

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to critically evaluate the impact of empowering leadership on safety behavior and safety climate during safety monitoring at a nuclear power plant (NPP) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected using questionnaires filled out by 500 participants from the UAE nuclear sector. The relationships among the variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results indicated that empowering leadership has a positive impact on safety behavior, and a positive safety climate leads to increased levels of safety behavior (compliance and participation). The results also showed that safety climate partially mediates the relationship between empowering leadership and safety behavior. Originality/value: This study contributes to the existing knowledge regarding empowering leadership, safety monitoring, behavior and climate. Because limited information is available on this topic, this study extends the research on the relationship between empowering leadership and safety research at an NPP. Specifically, it outlines that safety monitoring partially mediates the relationship between empowering leadership and safety behavior. This research enables NPPs worldwide to incorporate empowering leadership to enhance safety monitoring and ensure better safety behavior and climate.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: empowering leadership; exploratory factor analysis; nuclear power plant accidents; quantitative research; safety behavior; safety climate; safety monitoring; self-regulation framework; social exchange theory; structural equation modeling; theory of planned behavior; UAE
Index terms: methodology, questionnaire, self-regulation, United Arab Emirates, safety research, compliance, nuclear power, exploratory factor analysis, safety climate, structural equation modelling, monitoring, social exchange theory, planned behaviour, quantitative research, safety behaviour
Subjects: data analysis and analytics, energy systems, data collection methods, control systems, occupational health and safety management, statistical analysis, behavioral psychology, research methods, Geography, health safety and environment, social theory
Topics: Geographical Context, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Health and Safety, Site Management
Descriptive scope: 4 PCTA

N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here