Prioritizing Worker-Related Factors of Safety Climate Using Fuzzy DEMATEL Analysis

The term “safety climate” describes how workers perceive and observe safety within an organization. Workers are typically on the front lines, where they are immediately exposed to safety procedures and working hazards. Their thoughts offer a practical perspective on how safety is applied on a daily basis. Therefore, this study employed the Fuzzy DEMATEL methodology to investigate the critical factors influencing safety climate from workers’ perspective. The research involved nine experts evaluating eight worker-related factors that affect safety climate. The incorporation of fuzzy logic improved the accommodation of the ambiguity and subjectivity inherent in expert judgments, particularly when examining employee viewpoints on safety. The study revealed that the following factors were identified as primary drivers (causal factors) of safety climate: Workers’ safety competence, Workers’ freedom speech about safety matters, and Worker’s ability to perceive hazards. From the perspective of workers, these causal factors have a considerable impact on the other dimensions of safety climate, implying that focused changes in these areas could deliver substantial advantages throughout the full safety spectrum. This distinction provides valuable information for firms to prioritize their safety improvement initiatives and resource allocation. By identifying important cause elements and their relationships, the study offers organizations with a strategic path for improving their safety climate.