Citation

Harrell WA. Percept. Mot. Skills 1990; 70(3): 1351-1359.

Affiliation

Centre for Experimental Sociology, University of Alberta.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2399107

Abstract

Factors influencing the perception of risk of work-related accidental injury were investigated for 244 full-time employed men and women. Autonomy and freedom in one's work were the strongest predictors of perceived risk, with those respondents exercising the greatest control over their work perceiving the least risk of accidental injury. Two other dimensions of control over work-task repetitiveness and speed of pace-had weaker effects. Respondents using primarily blue collar kinds of equipment felt more at risk than those using white collar equipment or no equipment. This result is interpreted in terms of the impact of 'sudden harm' on perceptions. Present working conditions, represented by the number of hazards identified in the workplace, predicted perceived risk more strongly than previous accident history.

Language: en