Study on effects of psychological capital and sleepiness level of workers in A factory on occurrence of work accidents

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Work accidents are one of the most important elements of occupational health. A great number of individuals encounter significant problems and losses in social and economic terms as a result of work accidents. This study aims at examining the effect of psychological capital and sleepiness levels of the workers in a factory on occurrence of work accidents. TOOLS AND METHOD: The study covered 658 workers, aged 18-65, working at a private factory, between 15 May – 31 July 2016. Data was collected with the Interview Form, prepared by the author, Psychological Capital Scale (PCS) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Data was evaluated with Lilliefors' Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, histogram graph, normal distribution curve, skewness and kurtosis, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis Variance Analysis, Benforonni correction test, Pearman's Correlation analysis tests. FINDINGS: Individuals included into the study had a mean age of 31,17±7,29; 96,4% were male; 10,5% worked in shifts; 82,1% worked in the production department and 54,1% slept 6-8 hours regularly every day. 12,8% of the workers were involved in a work accident. Mean ESS score of individuals who previously had a work accident was 3,05±3,68 while this scope was 3,05±3,68 for those who did not have an accident. It was found that the ESS mean score of those who had a work accident was significantly higher compared to those who did not have an accident (p>0,05). It was observed that the psychological endurance (z=-0,442, p=0,659>0,05) and self-efficacy (z=-6,238, p=0,004>0,05) perceptions of workers who did not have an accident were significantly higher than that of those who had an accident. Significant differences could not be found between mean optimism (z=-0,019, p=0,985>0,05) and hope (z=-0,689, p=0,218>0,05) scores by the condition of having a work accident. CONCLUSION: It was found that individuals who had a work accident had higher sleepiness conditions during daytime and lower their psychological capital levels. The condition of having a work accident had a negative effect on perception of psychological endurance and self-efficacy. No difference is found in the optimism and hope perceptions of workers who had an accident compared to others. Keywords: Work-life, Effective Factors, Daytime Sleepiness, Work Accidents, Psychological Capital