Citation

Halbesleben JRB. J. Occup. Health Psychol. 2010; 15(1): 1-16.

Affiliation

Department of Management and Marketing, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54702, USA. halbesjr@uwec.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0017634

PMID

20063955

Abstract

Occupational injuries remain an important concern for employers, particularly in the health care industry where injury rates have increased despite decreases in other industries. Testing the notion of resource investment from conservation of resources theory, I predicted that exhaustion would be associated with a greater likelihood of safety workarounds (alternative work processes undertaken to "work around" a perceived block in work flow, such as a safety procedure). Furthermore, I hypothesized that safety workarounds would lead to a greater frequency and severity of occupational injuries. I found support for this mediation model with a 2-sample, 3-wave survey study of a variety of health care professionals (nurses, sonographers, and others). I discuss the implications of this research for future research in occupational safety and provide ideas for the reduction of injuries through action research strategies that reduce burnout and workarounds.

Language: en