Measuring Perceptions of Workplace Safety: Development and Validation of the Work Safety Scale

A 50-item instrument that assesses employees’ perceptions of work safety, the Work Safety Scale (WSS), was constructed and validated using three independent samples. The results showed that the WSS measures five factorially distinct constructs: (a) job safety, (b) coworker safety, (c) supervisor safety, (d) management safety practices, and (e) satisfaction with the safety program. Each of these scales has a high degree of internal consistency across the three samples. Supervisor safety and management safety practices were the best predictors of job satisfaction. In addition, supporting previous research, supervisor safety and management safety practices were significantly correlated with reported accident rates. Coworker safety and supervisor safety were strongly linked to employee’s compliance with safety behaviors. WSS subscales were logically related to job stress, psychological complaints, physical complaints, and sleep complaints. Implications of the results are discussed.