Yongjuan Li

Job demands, job resources and safety outcomes: The roles of emotional exhaustion and safety compliance

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model in explaining the relationship of job demands and resources with safety outcomes (i.e., workplace injuries and near-misses). We collected self-reported data from 670 crude oil production workers from three sub-companies of a major oilfield company in China. The results of a structural equation analysis indicated that job demands (psychological and physical demands) and job resources (decision latitude, supervisor support and coworker support) could affect emotional exhaustion and safety compliance, and thus influence the occurrence of injuries and near-misses. The implications of the present findings regarding both the JD-R model and occupational safety research were discussed.

THE BALANCED INVENTORY OF DESIRABLE RESPONDING (BIDR) : A FACTOR ANALYSIS

A confirmatory factor analysis of the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding based on a sample of 683 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students did not support the 2-factor (Paulhus) or 3-factor (Paulhus & Reid) models reported for Canadian samples. A follow-up principal components factor analysis yielded four factors, suggesting that both items on self-deception and impression management were split into enhancement and denial and that the structure of the inventory might vary across nations or cultures.

Attentional bias toward safety predicts safety behaviors

Safety studies have primarily focused on how explicit processes and measures affect safety behavior and subsequent accidents and injuries. Recently, safety researchers have paid greater attention to the role of implicit processes. Our research focuses on the role of attentional bias toward safety (ABS) in workplace safety. ABS is a basic, early-stage cognitive process involving the automatic and selective allocation of attentional resources toward safety cues, which reflect the implicit motivational state of employees regarding safety goal. In this study, we used two reaction time-based paradigms to measure the ABS of employees in three studies: two modified Stroop tasks (Studies 1 and 2) and a visual dot-probe task (Study 3). Results revealed that employees with better safety behavior showed significant ABS (Study 2), and greater ABS than employees with poorer safety behavior (Studies 1 and 2). Moreover, ABS was positively associated with the perceived safety climate and safety motivation of employees, both of which mediate the effect of ABS on safety behavior (Study 3). These results contributed to a deeper understanding of how early-stage automatic perceptual processing affects safety behavior. The practical implications of these results were also discussed.

The Influence of Individual and Team Cognitive Ability on Operators' Task and Safety Performance: A Multilevel Field Study in Nuclear Power Plants

While much research has investigated the predictors of operators’ performance such as personality, attitudes and motivation in high-risk industries, its cognitive antecedents and boundary conditions have not been fully investigated. Based on a multilevel investigation of 312 nuclear power plant main control room operators from 50 shift teams, the present study investigated how general mental ability (GMA) at both individual and team level can influence task and safety performance. At the individual level, operators’ GMA was predictive of their task and safety performance and this trend became more significant as they accumulated more experience. At the team level, we found team GMA had positive influences on all three performance criteria. However, we also found a “big-fish-little-pond” effect insofar as team GMA had a relatively smaller effect and inhibited the contribution of individual GMA to workers’ extra-role behaviors (safety participation) compared to its clear beneficial influence on in-role behaviors (task performance and safety compliance). The possible mechanisms related to learning and social comparison processes are discussed.

Job demands and driving anger: The roles of emotional exhaustion and work engagement

This study aimed to examine the effects of both hindrance and challenge demands on driving anger within the framework of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. We collected self-reported data from 411 office workers driving to and from work each day in five cities in China. The results from a structural equation modeling analysis indicated that both hindrance and challenge demands were positively related to emotional exhaustion, which was in turn positively correlated with driving anger. Moreover, work engagement was positively correlated with driving anger. Implications of the present findings regarding both the JD-R model and driving safety research are discussed.

Leader-member exchange and safety citizenship behavior: The mediating role of coworker trust

BACKGROUND To achieve high safety levels, mere compliance with safety regulations is not sufficient; employees must be proactive and demonstrate safety citizenship behaviors. Trust is considered as a mechanism for facilitating the effects of a leader on employee citizenship behaviors. Increasingly research has focused on the role of trust in a safety context; however, the role of coworker trust has been overlooked. OBJECTIVES The mediating role of coworker trust in the relationship between the leader-member exchange and safety citizenship behavior is the focus of this field study. METHODS Front-line employees from an air traffic control center and an airline maintenance department completed surveys measuring leader-member exchange, co-worker trust, and safety citizenship behavior. RESULTS Structural Equation Modeling revealed affective and cognitive trust in coworkers is influenced by leader-member exchange. A trust-based mediation model where cognitive trust and affective trust mediate the relationship between the leader-member exchange and safety citizenship behavior emerged. CONCLUSION Results of this study add to our understanding of the relationship between leader-member exchange and safety behavior. The effect of co-worker trust and the extent to which employees participate in workplace safety practice were identified as critical factors. The findings show that managers need to focus on developing cognitive and affective coworker trust to improve safety citizenship behaviors.

Effect of perceived risk on nuclear power plant operators’ safety behavior and errors

Safety behavior and human errors are major concerns for nuclear power plant operators. The present study investigated how nuclear power plant operators’ perceived risk influences the quality of their own work performance in terms of safety behavior and errors. In total, 349 operators from two nuclear power plants in China participated in the present study. We found that perceived risk had a negative linear relationship with safety behavior and a quadratic relationship with errors. Leader support played a moderating role in the relationships between perceived risk, safety behavior, and errors. These results supported the job demands–resources model and provided further evidence for the relationship between perceived risk and outcomes related to safety behavior and errors. Our findings suggest that an effective way to address the issue of high perceived risk is to provide a supportive environment.

SOCIALLY DESIRABLE RESPONDING IN CHINESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: DENIAL AND ENHANCEMENT?

This study examined the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) with one-, two-, three-, and four-dimensional models and tested the BIDRs discriminant validity with personality variables. A confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis of responses from 600 Chinese university students (314 men, 282 women, 4 missing; M age = 20.0 yr.) provided results indicating that the four-factor model fit the data best; i.e., self-deception and impression management split into denial and enhancement. The Denial and Enhancement subscales with personality variables show significant differences, confirming the four-factor model. The cultural differences as a possible reason for the split were discussed.