The attributes of effective safety storytelling: measurement and conceptual advancement

• The Safety Storytelling Attributes Scale assesses leaders’ safety storytelling. • The nine attributes are positively linked to workers’ self-reported safety behaviour. • Each attribute’s effectiveness depends on the specific behaviour targeted. • The attributes relate to voluntary safety behaviours via transportation. Safety storytelling has been proposed as a powerful tool to improve workplace safety. However, not all safety stories are equally influential, highlighting the need to better understand the key attributes that enhance the effectiveness of safety storytelling. In this study, we build on a previously developed nine-attribute taxonomy by creating a measure—the Safety Storytelling Attributes Scale (SSAS)—and exploring the links between these attributes in leaders’ safety storytelling and workers’ self-reported safety behaviours (i.e., compliance, participation and voice). Evidence across five samples supports (1) the content validity of the SSAS, (2) its nine-dimensional structure with two overarching subscales, and (3) its reliability and validity. Results also revealed that the importance of each attribute for storytelling effectiveness differs depending on the safety behaviour of interest. Moreover, we present evidence showing that transportation (i.e., absorption into the story) mediates the relationship between the storytelling attributes and workers’ safety participation and voice behaviours, but not compliance. Ultimately, our findings offer a nuanced and refined perspective on which attributes are important to the effectiveness of safety storytelling and how they may exert their influence. In doing so, we contribute valuable insight for leaders and organisations seeking to construct and deliver more impactful safety stories. The developed measure and refined understanding also offer a foundation for future research and practice.