The relationship between HR safety practices and organizational safety outcomes

This study investigated an important aspect of what organizations can do to improve safety outcomes for their employees. Specifically, it examined the relationship between traditional Human Resource (HR) safety practices (selection, training, evaluations, and compensation) as well as high performance safety practices (alignment, decentralization, and legitimization) and safety outcomes. Whether or not an overall latent safety orientation exists was also investigated. 54 organizations (identified through business/industry associations) were included in the study. Top-level managers (as well as operational level managers) at each organization were asked to complete a survey about their safety-related human resource practices. Safety outcomes were assessed through organizational records (OSHA 300 logs), weighted according to the seriousness of the injury and averaged across five years. The findings of this project contribute to the study of safety, by identifying HR safety practices (individual compensation, group compensation, alignment and decentralization) that have a positive relationship with organizational safety outcomes. Further, this study examined whether or not a latent organizational safety orientation exists. Implications for organizations and future research are discussed.