The effect of exposure to psychosocial risk factors at the workplace on work accidents among coal mine workers

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the occurrence of work accidents among coal mine workers, their exposure to psychosocial risk factors and the impact of psychosocial risk factors on the occurrence of work accidents. Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional research conducted with 420 participants at the TTK Kozlu Enterprise Directorate in the Kozlu district of Zonguldak province, between November 1, 2023, and March 15, 2025. The dependent variable of this study is the participants' experience of occupational accidents. The effects of various independent variables on the occurrence of occupational accidents and exposure to psychosocial risks, as well as the impact of psychosocial risk factors on occupational accidents, were examined. Descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for data analysis. Findings and Discussion: The average age of the participants is 36.9 ± 9.4 years. All participants are male. Of the participants, 73.8% (n=310) are married, and 48.1% (n=202) are high school graduates. The average professional experience of the participants is 11.4 ± 8.2 years. Production workers constitute 67.1% (n=282) of the participants. 194 participants have never had a work accident, 118 participants have experienced one work accident, and 108 have experienced multiple accidents. 89 participants reported having a work accident in the past year. Although married workers experienced a higher number of work accidents compared to single workers in this study, single workers were found to be at greater risk of having an accident within the last year. Contrary to the literature, workers with higher education levels were found to be at higher risk of work accidents. Workers in the production department were found to be at a higher risk of work accidents compared to workers in other departments. In this study, inexperienced workers scored statistically significantly higher than experienced workers in the demands section of the scale in terms of work pace, quantitative demands, need to hide emotions, work-home conflict; in the interpersonal relations and leadership section in terms of role conflict, lack of peer social support, lack of social support from peers, lack of social support from superiors; in the other parameters section in terms of job insecurity, working conditions insecurity; and in the outcomes section in terms of burnout dimensions. In our study, single workers scored statistically significantly higher than married workers in the work pace, quantitative demands, work-home conflict dimensions in the demands section of the scale. In this study, workers with higher education level scored statistically significantly higher than workers with lower education level in the dimensions of work-home conflict in the demands section; lack of recognition in the interpersonal relations and leadership section; and burnout in the results section. In our study, workers with occupational accidents scored statistically significantly higher than workers without occupational accidents on quantitative demands, cognitive demands, emotional demands and work-home conflict in the demands section; lack of freedom at work in the impact and development section; lack of predictability, lack of recognition, lack of leadership quality, lack of social support from peers, lack of social support from superiors, lack of sense of community, lack of trust, lack of justice and respect in the interpersonal relations and leadership section; lack of job satisfaction and burnout in the results section. The findings of this study, consistent with similar research in the literature, demonstrate a high risk of work accidents among coal mine workers. There are many factors contributing to this risk in high-risk sectors, one of which is exposure to psychosocial risk factors. The research findings support the impact of psychosocial risk factors on occupational accidents, indicating that these factors should be considered not only in the coal mining sector but in all industries when evaluating the causes of work accidents. Discussions on the causes of occupational accidents often prioritize chemical and biological risks, with interventions primarily developed in these areas. However, the impact of psychosocial factors should not be overlooked. In this regard, the number of similar studies should be increased, and interventions targeting psychosocial risks should be developed in occupational health and safety practices and regulatory frameworks. Keywords: occupational health and safety, coal worker, work accident, psychosocial risk factors, public health.