The Moderating Effect of Safety Climate on the Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support and Safety Behavior

Previous studies have examined the moderating effect of safety climate. For example, Hofmann and Morgeson (1999) found that safety climate moderates the relationship between leader-member exchange and safety citizenship role definition. This suggests that in work environments with a more positive safety climate, employees are more inclined to perceive safety behavior as a formal part of their role responsibilities, while this relationship is less pronounced in a less positive safety climate. This study expects that safety climate will moderate the relationship between safety behavior and perceived organizational support.

Leadership and senior management that prioritize safety and exhibit supportive attitudes create a positive safety climate within the organization. In such an environment, resources such as work equipment, relevant information, and support for employees gradually increase over time (Bunner, Prem, & Korunka, 2021). Safety behavior is also valued and rewarded. When colleagues share a strong focus on safety, employees who perceive a high level of organizational safety are more likely to comply with safety rules and willingly engage in addressing safety issues.

The moderating role of safety climate influences the association between perceived organizational support and safety behavior. At higher levels of safety climate, the relationship between perceived organizational support and safety behavior is expected to be stronger or more pronounced. This suggests that team members working in teams with a robust safety climate may respond to perceived organizational support by enhancing safety behavior. As a result, employees in a positive safety climate are more likely to be motivated by perceived organizational support to adopt more safety behavior. Conversely, in organizations with a low safety climate, employees are aware of the inadequate safety conditions in their work environment, leading to a lack of active engagement in safety behavior. The impact of perceived organizational support on safety behavior is weakened in such circumstances. Similarly, given the same level of perceived organizational support, employees in organizations with a high safety climate are more likely to exhibit safety behavior compared to those in organizations with a low safety climate.