Job Stressors and Safety Behavior in Service Workers : Moderating Roles of Psychological Safety and Managerial Competence

This study investigated the effects of environmental, ergonomic, and interpersonal stressors on safety behaviors among service-sector employees and examined the moderating role of organizational resources, psychological safety climate and managerial safety competence. Using panel data from the 10th Industrial Safety and Health Survey conducted by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), responses from 2,551 employees were analyzed through hierarchical regression and interaction-term analyses. Results indicated that environmental and ergonomic stressors negatively influenced safety behaviors, whereas psychological safety climate and managerial safety competence positively promoted them. Notably, when both organizational resources were high, the adverse effect of ergonomic stressors on safety behavior was significantly attenuated. However, no significant moderating effect was observed for workplace violence stressors. These findings highlight the need for follow-up research considering industry-specific characteristics and the identification of protective factors targeting workplace violence. To overcome limitations of secondary panel data, future studies should employ direct survey methods and ensure measurement validity. The results provide practical implications for fostering a safety culture and developing tailored safety management strategies in service organizations.