Safety training effectiveness in the oil and gas industry: Factors, relationship to accidents, and support for sustainable development goals

The oil and gas industry is widely recognized as a safety-critical sector, defined by its complex operations and inherent dangers. While safety training is essential for ensuring compliance and preventing injuries, its actual effectiveness on occupational safety outcomes is often comes into questioned. This study investigates the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of safety training and its subsequent impact on accident rates in the workplace. Using a quantitative survey to collect data from 352 employees of PT XYZ, a multinational oil and gas service provider in Indonesia. Through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), we assessed how seven variables - training environment, training content, self-efficacy, motivation to learn, trainer quality, training plan, and management support – influence training effectiveness and accident rates. Our findings reveal that while a structured training plan and strong management support are significant organizational drivers, individual factors-specifically self-efficacy and motivation to learn-emerge as the most influential determinants of training effectiveness. The results suggest that the lack of influence from technical training aspects, such as training environment, training content, and trainer quality, may be explained by the company’s heterogeneous workforce and its established, mature safety framework. These results offer valuable, actionable insights for companies seeking to improve safety performance through strategic training interventions. Ultimately, this research provides practical guidance for enhancing safety and contributes to the goals of Sustainable Development Goal 8 by fostering safer and more secure working environments. Keywords: Safety Training, Training Effectiveness, Occupational Safety, Oil and Gas Industry, PLS-SEM, SDG 8.