The Impact of Safety Leadership in Public-Sector Industrial Workplaces on Organizational Safety Culture and Workers’ Safety Participation Behavior

doi:10.15683/kosdi.2026.3.31.347

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2026 Vol.22, Issue 1 Preview Page Next Page

Original Article

The Impact of Safety Leadership in Public-Sector Industrial Workplaces on Organizational Safety Culture and Workers’ Safety Participation Behavior 공공기관 산업현장에서의 안전리더십이 조직안전문화와 근로자의 안전참여행동 수준에 미치는 영향: 김홍석¹ㆍ이창덕²ㆍ손지영³ㆍ임성윤⁴ㆍ장관수⁵*
Hong-Seok Kim¹, Chang-Deok Lee², Ji-Young Son³, Sung-Yun Lim⁴, Kwan-su Jang⁵*; ¹Doctor’s Course, Department of Safety & Health Convergence Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
²Doctor’s Course, Department of Safety & Health Convergence Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
³Doctor’s Course, Department of Safety & Health Convergence Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
⁴Doctor’s Course, Department of Safety & Health Convergence Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
⁵Doctor, Department of Safety & Health Convergence Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

31 March 2026. pp. 347-364

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Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to empirically examine the effects of managerial safety leadership on organizational safety culture and employees’ safety participation behavior in public-sector industrial workplaces, and to identify the mediating role of organizational safety culture in this relationship. Focusing on employees of Korea Electric Power Corporation, this study seeks to extend safety management research beyond institutional and procedural approaches by emphasizing organizational culture and leadership perspectives. Method: A survey was conducted among industrial field employees working at Korea Electric Power Corporation to measure safety leadership, organizational safety culture, and safety participation behavior. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to examine the structural relationships among variables and to test the mediating effect. Results: The results indicate that all sub-dimensions of safety leadership (attitude, communication, support, and role-modeling behavior) have significant positive effects on organizational safety culture and safety participation behavior. Organizational safety culture was also found to have a strong positive effect on safety participation behavior and to partially mediate the relationship between safety leadership and safety participation behavior. Conclusion: This study empirically confirms that managerial safety leadership is a key factor in strengthening employees’ voluntary safety participation behavior through organizational safety culture in public-sector industrial workplaces. The findings suggest that, in public institutions such as Korea Electric Power Corporation, enhancing the effectiveness of safety management requires not only institution-based control systems but also integrated approaches that emphasize leadership and organizational safety culture.

Keywords

Safety Leadership

Organizational Safety Culture

Safety Participation Behavior

Public Institution

연구목적: 본 연구는 공공기관 산업현장에서 관리자의 안전리더십이 조직안전문화와 근로자의 안전참여행동에 미치는 영향을 실증적으로 분석하고, 이 과정에서 조직안전문화의 매개효과를 규명하는 데 목적을 두었다. 특히 한국전력공사 종사자를 대상으로 안전관리의 제도적 접근을 넘어 조직문화와 리더십 차원의 영향을 검토하고자 하였다. 연구방법: 한국전력공사에 재직 중인 산업현장 종사자를 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하여 안전리더십, 조직안전문화, 안전참여행동을 측정하였다. 수집된 자료는 SPSS와 AMOS를 활용하여 분석하였으며, 확인적 요인분석(CFA)과 구조방정식모형(SEM)을 통해 변수 간의 구조적 관계와 매개효과를 검증하였다. 연구결과: 안전리더십의 모든 하위요인(태도, 의사소통, 지원, 모범행동)은 조직안전문화와 안전참여행동에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 조직안전문화는 안전참여행동에 강한 영향을 미쳤으며, 안전리더십과 안전참여행동 간의 관계에서 부분 매개효과를 가지는 것으로 확인되었다. 결론: 공공기관 산업현장에서 관리자의 안전리더십이 조직안전문화를 통해 근로자의 자발적 안전참여행동을 강화하는 핵심 요인임을 실증적으로 확인하였다. 이는 한국전력공사와 같은 공공기관에서 안전관리의 실효성을 높이기 위해 제도 중심의 관리뿐 아니라 리더십과 조직문화 차원의 접근이 병행되어야 함을 시사한다.

키워드

안전리더십

조직안전문화

안전참여행동

공공기관

References

Baron, R.M., Kenny, D.A. (1986). “The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 51, No. 6, pp. 1173-1182. 10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173
Clarke, S. (2013). “Safety leadership: A meta-analytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours.” Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 86, No. 1, pp. 22-49. 10.1111/j.2044-8325.2012.02064.x
Griffin, M.A., Neal, A. (2000). “Perceptions of safety at work: A framework for linking safety climate to safety performance, knowledge, and motivation.” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 347-358. 10.1037/1076-8998.5.3.347
Jung, J.-W., Kim, Y.-S. (2020). “An analysis of the relationship between safety perception and safety behavior among public institution employees.” Korean Journal of Public Management, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 89-112.
Kim, G.-S., Lee, W.-Y. (2016). “The effects of organizational safety culture on workers’ safety behavior.” Journal of the Korean Society for Safety Management & Science, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 45-56.
Kim, J.-G., Park, S.-B. (2017). “The effects of supervisors’ safety leadership on organizational safety culture and safety behavior.” Journal of the Korean Society of Industrial Safety, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 1-10.
Lee, J.-H., Jeong, W.-J. (2019). “The effects of perceived organizational safety culture on safety participation behavior.” Journal of the Korean Safety Society, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 23-31.
Neal, A., Griffin, M.A., Hart, P.M. (2000). “The impact of organizational climate on safety climate and individual behavior.” Safety Science, Vol. 34, No. 1-3, pp. 99-109. 10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00008-4
Neal, A., Griffin, M.A. (2006). “A study of the lagged relationships among safety climate, safety motivation, safety behavior, and accidents at the individual and group levels.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 91, No. 4, pp. 946-953. 10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.946
Park, Y.-S. (2014). Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Sigma Press, Seoul, Korea.
Reason, J. (1997). Managing the Risks of Organizational accidents. Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot, UK.
Zohar, D. (2002). “Modifying supervisory practices to improve subunit safety: A leadership-based intervention model.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 156-163. 10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.156
Zohar, D., Luria, G. (2005). “A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 90, No. 4, pp. 616-628. 10.1037/0021-9010.90.4.616

Information

Publisher :The Korean Society of Disaster Information
Publisher(Ko) :한국재난정보학회
Journal Title :Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
Journal Title(Ko) :한국재난정보학회논문집
Volume : 22
No :1
Pages :347-364
DOI :https://doi.org/10.15683/kosdi.2026.3.31.347

[1] Baron, R.M., Kenny, D.A. (1986). “The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 51, No. 6, pp. 1173-1182. 10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173

[2] Clarke, S. (2013). “Safety leadership: A meta-analytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours.” Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 86, No. 1, pp. 22-49. 10.1111/j.2044-8325.2012.02064.x

[3] Griffin, M.A., Neal, A. (2000). “Perceptions of safety at work: A framework for linking safety climate to safety performance, knowledge, and motivation.” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 347-358. 10.1037/1076-8998.5.3.347

[4] Jung, J.-W., Kim, Y.-S. (2020). “An analysis of the relationship between safety perception and safety behavior among public institution employees.” Korean Journal of Public Management, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 89-112.

[5] Kim, G.-S., Lee, W.-Y. (2016). “The effects of organizational safety culture on workers’ safety behavior.” Journal of the Korean Society for Safety Management & Science, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 45-56.

[6] Kim, J.-G., Park, S.-B. (2017). “The effects of supervisors’ safety leadership on organizational safety culture and safety behavior.” Journal of the Korean Society of Industrial Safety, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 1-10.

[7] Lee, J.-H., Jeong, W.-J. (2019). “The effects of perceived organizational safety culture on safety participation behavior.” Journal of the Korean Safety Society, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 23-31.

[8] Neal, A., Griffin, M.A., Hart, P.M. (2000). “The impact of organizational climate on safety climate and individual behavior.” Safety Science, Vol. 34, No. 1-3, pp. 99-109. 10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00008-4

[9] Neal, A., Griffin, M.A. (2006). “A study of the lagged relationships among safety climate, safety motivation, safety behavior, and accidents at the individual and group levels.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 91, No. 4, pp. 946-953. 10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.946

[10] Park, Y.-S. (2014). Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Sigma Press, Seoul, Korea.

[11] Reason, J. (1997). Managing the Risks of Organizational accidents. Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot, UK.

[12] Zohar, D. (2002). “Modifying supervisory practices to improve subunit safety: A leadership-based intervention model.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 156-163. 10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.156

[13] Zohar, D., Luria, G. (2005). “A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 90, No. 4, pp. 616-628. 10.1037/0021-9010.90.4.616

Journal of the Society of Disaster Information ISSN:1976-2208(Print) 2671-5287(Online) 한국재난정보학회논문집

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