Abstract:
Protection of workers against harm and sicknesses is a fundamental human right, irrespective of where the individual works. Most workplace safety and health research concentrate on the industrial and formal or corporate work settings, with very little attention given to the informal sector, especially informal agriculture. The present paper investigated safety behaviour as a mediating variable in the relationship between safety culture and safety performance of rice farm worker. The study was a cross-sectional survey, involving 469 respondents (347 males and 122 females), with an average age of 45.96 years and 13.65 years of rice farming experience. The data was analysed with the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling. The paper found safety culture to be a strong predictor of safety behaviour, and a moderate predictor of safety performance. Also, safety behaviour had a competitive partial mediating effect on the relationship between safety culture and safety performance. Contrary to expectation, safety behaviour had a positive relationship with safety performance, and safety culture was a better predictor of safety performance than safety behaviour. The results were discussed in light of the socio-cultural sub-system model and recommendation for research, practice and policy proffered.
