Predicting Safety Behavior in Mining Employees Based on Locus of Control with Health as Mediating Variable

The mining industry is a significant source of risk with regard to occupational safety and health. Due to the role of unsafe behaviors in the occurrence of accidents in an industrial environment, it is inevitable to tackle the factors affecting the adoption of safety behaviors and the prevention of occupational injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate whether health mediates the association between locus of control and safety behaviors in miners.

The present research is a descriptive-correlational study conducted by structural equation modeling method. 283 employees of Iran's mining industry (Imidro) were selected by purposive sampling method. The instruments used in the current study included the Levenson’s Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale, Goldberg Health Questionnaire and Mahdinia's Safety Behavior Questionnaire. In order to test the hypotheses, the structural equation modeling method was performed using SPSS and Amos software.

The results support for a mediating role of health between safety behavior and the locus of control (in all three areas, internal, the influence of powerful others and luck) of mining industry employees.

Employee’s health is a determining factor in the impact of the locus of control on the safety behavior of mining industry employees.