Benchmarks for Evidence-Based Risk Assessment with the Swedish Version of the 4-Item Psychosocial Safety Climate Scale

Hanne Berthelsen, Tuija Muhonen, Gunnar Bergström, Hugo Westerlund and Maureen F. Dollard
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Hanne Berthelsen: Centre for Work Life and Evaluation Studies (CTA), Malmö University, 205 06 Malmö, Sweden
Tuija Muhonen: Centre for Work Life and Evaluation Studies (CTA), Malmö University, 205 06 Malmö, Sweden
Gunnar Bergström: Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Occupational Health Sciences and Psychology, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden
Hugo Westerlund: Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Maureen F. Dollard: PSC Observatory, Centre for Workplace Excellence, Justice and Society, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to validate the short version of The Psychosocial Safety Climate questionnaire (PSC-4, Dollard, 2019) and to establish benchmarks indicating risk levels for use in Sweden. Cross-sectional data from (1) a random sample of employees in Sweden aged 25–65 years ( n = 2847) and (2) a convenience sample of non-managerial employees from 94 workplaces ( n = 3066) were analyzed. Benchmarks for three PSC risk levels were developed using organizational compliance with Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) regulations as criterion. The results support the validity and usefulness of the Swedish PSC-4 as an instrument to indicate good, fair, and poor OSH practices. The recommended benchmark for indicating good OSH practices is an average score of >12.0, while the proposed cutoff for poor OSH practices is a score of ≤8.0 on the PSC-4. Scores between these benchmarks indicate fair OSH practices. Furthermore, aggregated data on PSC-4 supported its reliability as a workplace level construct and its association with quantitative demands, quality of leadership, commitment to the workplace, work engagement, job satisfaction, as well as stress and burnout. Thus, the Swedish version of PSC-4 can be regarded as a valid and reliable measure for both research and practical use for risk assessment at workplaces.

Keywords: psychosocial safety climate; PSC-4; occupational safety and health; OSH; risk assessment; benchmark; COPSOQ; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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