The Impact Of Mental Health On Mineworkers’ Safety Behaviours: The Moderating Role Of Safety Climate

Abstract

Despite the heavy investment in health and safety, the Ghanaian mining industry continues to record a high number of accidents and workplace injuries. The cost of accident compensations coupled with the loss of productive work hours as well as work-related diseases emanating from accidents and injuries at the workplace are excruciating. Mine workers compliance with safety rules and regulations and the active participation in safety initiatives and activities which could be improved through a good safety climate and enhancing mine workers mental health will contribute to reducing workplace accidents and injuries. To this end, the current study investigates the impact of mental health (anxiety and depression) on employee safety behaviours (compliance and participation) whiles examining whether safety climate moderates the relationship between mental health and safety behaviours. Grounded in the social exchange theory, the study adopted a quantitative research approach with an explanatory cross-sectional survey research design. A total of two-hundred and seventy-four (274) mine workers purposively selected participated in the study. Responses were obtained from participants through a structured questionnaire which was analyzed using the partial least square structural equation modelling with smart PLS (v.3). The study found that anxiety had a significant negative effect on safety compliance but not participation. Depression was found to have a significant negative effect on mine workers safety compliance and participation behaviours. The findings of the study also show that safety climate moderates the relationships between the dimensions of mental health and mine workers safety behaviour except for the relationship between anxiety and mine workers safety participation behaviour. The study recommends the need for mining companies to develop industry-specific policies on mental health and employee’s assistance programs in mental health that will seek to identify and address mental health challenges among mine workers.