Psychosocial Determinant of Occupational Safety and Health Among Chainsaw Operators in Southwestern Nigeria: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Chainsaw is one of the mechanized wood harvesting tools being used in the forest sector, fatalities and serious injuries common among chainsaw operators are of high percentage. The aim of this study was to utilize the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model to assess the behavioral intention of operators towards occupational health, safety which can be influenced by occupational stress. Occupational stress, health and safety risks can influence behavioral intention and outcome expectation among chainsaw operators, and the TPB model was effective to help detect some of its constraints, which are significant to this fundamental study. Participants of about two hundred and fifteen ranging from twenty (20) years of age to eighty-three (83) years elderly men were selected randomly at the felling/logging sites (n = 215) and a questionnaire survey tool was used for quality assessment including eight (8) dichotomous items and twenty-seven (27) Likert items. The reliability test for the data collected was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha, estimated to be 75.4%. Results indicated that out of the model's constructs applied, attitude to behavior and subjective norm with p – value of 0.000 and 0.004, respectively, were significant predictors while others were not virtually relevant during this research. This implies that attitude to behavior and subject norm could influence operator’s expectation of their behavioral intention to occupational stress management, compliance with health, safety and environmental impact awareness, which may help to prevent occupational accidents and minimize the negative impact of chainsaw operation in the environment.