Moral intensity, safety culture and individual state constructs: maturing safety culture through an ethical lens

After decades of workplace safety evolution, organisations are looking for new insights in order to prevent harm. However, there has been relatively little focus on the role of ethical decision-making in behaviour-based safety. This study examines the influence of contextual, organisational and individual factors that influence the ethical decision-making process. 376 responses to three scenarios, crafted to reflect common health and safety related dilemmas in the Australian telecommunications and broadcasting industry, were captured and analysed. A three-tiered quantitative research model was developed, firstly using vignettes to test the contextual influences on ethical decision-making. Secondly a bivariate analysis was used to investigate the moral intensity of the three dilemmas and the influence of individual factors and safety culture. The third tier explores the influence of variables on forming moral intent. Drawing on philosophy and social psychology theory this study suggests that perceptions of moral intensity are stronger for safety dilemmas than workplace health dilemmas, creating concerns for the active caring movement. Moreover, moral intensity and forming moral intentions was found to vary significantly between safety and health dilemmas. Results suggest individuals with strong moral potency are more likely to perceive high levels of moral intensity and will be more likely to form moral intent in response to health and safety dilemmas. It appears more likely for an idealistic person to form moral intent for safety dilemmas but not health related scenarios. Small positive associations were also identified between idealism and perceptions of moral intensity. Individuals with strong levels of relativism were less likely to form moral intent. However, relativism does not appear to influence near miss reporting or perceptions of moral intensity. Safety culture was observed to have very small positive associations with perceptions of moral intensity, and forming moral intent despite assumptions that social consensus and safety culture may have strong correlations. There were no significant relationships with idealism or relativism. This study can assist businesses to understand what influences worker perceptions of moral intensity and how they form moral intentions that may lead to safe behaviour, therefore enhancing behaviour based safety programs, compliance and the active caring movement.