The effect of managers' leadership styles on the formation of an occupational safety culture: An application on occupational safety leadership

It is not possible to consider the subject of leadership, which has an important place in every field, separately from a multidimensional and multidisciplinary field such as Occupational Health and Safety. Research shows that measures taken to improve physical conditions and develop protective equipment alone are not enough, and instead, more focus should be placed on the concepts of "safety culture" and "safety leadership". In this research, a survey study was conducted with 393 employees in a factory in Ankara province, including scales to assess their occupational safety awareness and their managers' occupational safety leadership. With the study, It has been revealed that the leadership characteristics and behaviors of managers have a significant effect on the formation of a safety culture and the adoption of occupational safety practices by employees. In addition, by providing an understanding of the concepts of "Safety Leadership" and "Safety Focused Leadership", which are considered new in the literature, it is aimed to create recommendations for improving the occupational safety focuses and leadership qualities of managers.