Development of a generative voluntary safety reporting culture (GVSRC) model for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil and gas (O & G) sector using attributes of the aviation safety action program (ASAP)

•Generative voluntary safety reporting culture (GVSRC) leads to proactive reporting of precursors of safety events.•Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) promotes GVSRC in U.S. airlines and can be adopted in the oil and gas sector.•Validated GVSRC factors are Safety Reporting Policy Fundamentals, Organizational Support and Process Engagement, and Safety Reporting Benefits.•Top management provision of resources for safety reporting programs significantly improves safety reporting processes.•Despite the different operating environments and processes, an ASAP prototype has safety value in the oil and gas sector. Generative voluntary safety reporting culture (GVSRC) fosters proactive reporting of hazards, near-misses, potential violations, and operational errors that are precursors of accidents. The Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) has been effective in sustaining a GVSRC in the U.S commercial airline industry. To assess the potential cross-disciplinary application of an ASAP-style initiative in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil and gas (O&G) sector, a GVSRC model was developed from employee perceptions of ASAP attributes using structural equation modeling. Hypothesized underlying factors of GVSRC: safety reporting policy fundamentals (SRPF), organizational support, personnel engagements in voluntary safety reporting processes (OSPE), and safety reporting benefits (SRB) were validated. The GVSRC model had a good fit index (RMSEA = 0.031). All underlying factors had significant predictive relationships with GVSRC, with high effect sizes. The GVSRC model has utility in gauging the levels of understanding and acceptance of ASAP attributes in the O&G sector. There were significant linear relationships between the factors and OSPE significantly mediated the relationship between SRPF and SRB. Results suggest that top management support for voluntary safety reporting programs through resource provision can motivate personnel to engage in safety reporting processes. In terms of voluntary reporting propensity, younger respondents significantly underreported safety issues than older personnel, highlighting the need for better hazard identification, safety risk management training, and effective mentoring for younger personnel. Implication for policy is that despite different operating environments and processes, an ASAP-styled initiative has positive value for safety management and engendering a proactive safety reporting culture in the O&G sector.