Dimensions of Interpersonal Relationships and Safety in the Steel Industry

This paper extends theories explaining the influence of social determinants on workplace safety. Specifically, we applied social capital theory's emphasis of trust, shared norms, and faithfulness to obligations to the outcomes of at-risk behavior and perceptions of a safe work environment. Data provided by 395 employees of a major steel company supported the hypothesis that shared employee norms predicted both perceptions of work environment safety and at-risk behavior, trust in supervisor predicted perceptions of a safe work environment, and belief in management's safety values predicted at-risk behaviors.