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Abstract AIM: Small and medium sized enterprises have notable difficulties in engaging with health and safety activity and experience proportionally higher levels of accidents than larger businesses. SMEs have also been described as problematic to access for research and intervention purposes. The aim of this research was to investigate the role of psychosocial factors in health and safety behaviour among small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs). METHODOLOGY: The research employed a mixed method design over two phases of study. In the first phase, fifty semi-structured telephone interviews were used to derive behaviours that the SMEs considered relevant to their type of business. In addition, the SMEs provided views on the rationale for, perceived effectiveness and facilitators of health and safety behaviour they had undertaken. In the second phase, a questionnaire survey was conducted using key SME health and safety behaviours and health and safety-related attitudes derived from the telephone interviews and key theoretical construct domains. Three hundred and thirteen SMEs completed questionnaires distributed at trade shows in Scotland and England. RESULTS: Overall, the level of health & safety activity undertaken by SMEs was reported to be low (with 59% spending one hour or less in a typical week according to questionnaire responses, the figure was 60% for the telephone interviews). Smaller businesses notably the micro business, spent significantly i
less time on health and safety activity compared with larger organisations. Those spending approximately one day per week or more on health and safety activity were found to be the largest SMEs in the sample. Hierarchical regressions performed on the survey data highlighted five key predictors of health and safety activity. These were positive and negative beliefs regarding resources, relationships with suppliers, and decision making by middle and junior level staff. It is notable that after taking into account the influence of the size of the company, these factors remained of significant importance. This suggests that the influence of these factors persist despite previous findings related to the size of the SME. Results also suggest that beliefs associated with the consequences of health & safety behaviour tend to lead to increased activity. Further, organisational design was found to mediate this effect. CONCLUSION: Interventions designed to increase health and safety in SMEs would be advised to take into account the psychosocial influences on health and safety behaviour, in particular those highlighted in this study, as these may have implications for uptake and sustainability of any new initiatives requiring such activity. ii
Page 1 and 2: A thesis submitted in partial fulfi
Page 3 and 4: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I gratefully ackno
Page 5 and 6: 3.1 Stage of Change model 3.2 An in
Page 7: INDEX OF TABLES Table 2.1. Employme
Page 11 and 12: “It shall be the duty of every em
Page 13 and 14: greatest majority of commercial ent
Page 15 and 16: een utilised to investigate and imp
Page 17 and 18: usinesses that employ less than two
Page 19 and 20: acknowledge the importance of healt
Page 21 and 22: shift has been the result for many
Page 23 and 24: to accidents; outcome expectancies
Page 25 and 26: offered by external agencies. Restr
Page 27 and 28: The notion that interventions may n
Page 29 and 30: inconvenience, time and trouble whi
Page 31 and 32: perceived “rip off” culture has
Page 33 and 34: are still unwilling to compromise t
Page 35 and 36: stress. Furthermore, one problem wi
Page 37 and 38: The Management Standards are in the
Page 39 and 40: 2.2.9 Basic Steps Towards Complianc
Page 41 and 42: authorised or facilitated by the re
Page 43 and 44: The employment of union health and
Page 45 and 46: costs depends on improvement of per
Page 47 and 48: Hairdressers Federation than inform
Page 49 and 50: about consequences (of not having c
Page 51 and 52: are: knowledge (increased awareness
Page 53 and 54: such as health and safety assessmen
Page 55 and 56: assessments and then use the site t
Page 57 and 58: of the enterprises’ health and sa
Page 59 and 60:
standards, for example sanctions su
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(Stephens, Hickling, Gaskell, Burto
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in the particular context, is a tai
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Lack of skills and knowledge appear
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3 CHAPTER THREE : LITERATURE REVIEW
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Barrett et al (2005) propose that t
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model does not explain how individu
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consensus on a theoretical framewor
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2005). Thompson (1986) defined cont
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according to level of motivation in
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Maclean, Sinfield, Klein, & Harnden
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may not be a valid reason for choos
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guidance. However other factors nee
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with the practical opportunities pr
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together with domains identified by
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The interview protocol comprised th
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A ‘cold calling’ approach to te
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SMEs. To facilitate this, behaviour
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Information on the cover sheet of t
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disagree’, ‘disagree’, ‘neu
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Training records in health & safety
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Figure 5.2 Number of staff and repo
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Figure 5.4 Relative health & safety
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5.1.5 Motives for Engagement with H
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Themes were identified from the the
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SMEs highlighted the existence of a
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“So we have an operational aspect
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to be enabled by communication with
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“In our experience especially in
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“Technology used to be the barrie
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The telephone interview findings di
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complying with legislation were als
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114
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Figure 6.1 Hours per week organisat
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Figure 6.3. Size by Stage of Change
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Table 6.3 Decision making and encou
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Eigenvalue 25 20 15 10 5 0 1 3 5 Fi
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Table 6.4 Oblimin factor solution w
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The nature of the attitude variable
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the project, the figure was 60%. Th
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framework to meaningfully consider
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encouragement of health & safety be
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The third factor comprised items re
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In the regression model which consi
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about capability (self-efficacy), a
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safety information, training and go
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feelings of control needed to promo
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7 CHAPTER SEVEN: DISCUSSION In this
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capabilities. The evidence for know
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study. It could be argued that this
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2002), although it has shown some v
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the events. Further, careful select
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were limited by the survey tools, w
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IMPLICATIONS FOR GOOD PRACTICE AND
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stronger links with their suppliers
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160
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of health and safety appraisal with
Page 173 and 174:
Dugdill, L., Kavanagh, C., Barlow,
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Haslam, R. A. (2002). Targeting erg
Page 177 and 178:
Ley, P. & Morris, L.A. (1984) Psych
Page 179 and 180:
Pilkington, A., Graham, M., Cowie,
Page 181 and 182:
Tait, R., & Walker, D. (2000b). Mar
Page 183 and 184:
Winum, P., Ryterband, E., Stephenso
Page 185:
Appendices 176
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General Introductions We are undert
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Making 48. a) Are you aware of any
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Pre-contemplation Buying “No, I'm
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“Only the general risk assessment
Page 200:
Appendix C - Questionnaire
Page 203 and 204:
23 We have to have health and safet
Page 205 and 206:
54 Carrying out health and safety t
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