Role of Human Factors in Awareness Enhancing in Workplaces

Aims: Ability of employees to maintain awareness of the work situation, understand the information it holds, and predict how situations will develop are important factors in prevention of industrial accidents. The aim of current research was to investigate the relationship of safety climate and work overload with work situation awareness. Instrument Methods: This cross sectional study was administrated between October and November 2015 in the National Petrochemical Company (NPC). 190 persons were selected by stratified random sampling method. Validated instruments were used for data collection on work situation awareness, safety climate and work overload. Data was analyzed by SPSS 15 software using Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis. Findings: Safety climate (68.67±7.13) had significant (p 0.01) correlations with work overload (16.17±3.21; r=0.26) and work situation awareness (65.55±6.22; r=0.5). Also, work overload and work situation awareness had a significant negative correlation (r=-0.39; p 0.01). Safety climate and work overload both predicted 33% of work situation awareness. Individually, safety climate predicted 21% (t=6.81; β=0.43) and work overload predicted 10% (t=- 4.43; β=-0.28) of the work situation awareness. Conclusion: Safety climate and work overload affect the work situation awareness among workers.