Unlocking the relationships between role stressors and unsafe behaviours of miners: the mediating role of risk perception

Unsafe behaviours are pivotal contributors to workplace accidents. While role stressors have been linked to work performance, their influence on safety performance has garnered relatively scant attention. This study utilized a theoretical model integrating the pressure-state-response model and role theory to examine the relationships between role stressors (i.e., role conflict, role ambiguity and role overload) and unsafe behaviours among miners. The mediating role of risk perception between role stressors and unsafe behaviours was also tested. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 893 copper miners in China, and structural equation modelling was employed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The results revealed that role conflict and role overload were positively related to unsafe behaviours while negatively affecting risk perception. Conversely, role ambiguity was positively related to risk perception. Risk perception was negatively related to unsafe behaviours and partially mediated the relationships between role conflict, role overload and unsafe behaviours.