Shaping safety climate of construction workgroups: the role of leader safety commitment, safety management actions and job autonomy

Purpose Drawing on the Signaling Theory, this study investigates how and when a leader's psychological safety commitment translates into a positive group safety climate. We propose a moderated mediation model where leader safety management actions act as the mediator, and job autonomy serves as the critical boundary condition. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via a two-wave, multi-source survey of 85 supervisors and 290 subordinate employees in a Chinese construction company. Findings Leader safety management actions fully mediate the positive relationship between leader safety commitment and group safety climate. This indirect effect is stronger when leaders perceive higher (vs lower) job autonomy. Practical implications To cultivate a positive safety climate, organizations should select leaders with strong intrinsic safety commitment and grant them sufficient job autonomy. This enables leaders to effectively convert their commitment into the tangible actions that shape group safety climate. Originality/value This study advances the literature by shifting the focus from employee perceptions to the leader's own psychological commitment to safety. It also offers a signal-based explanation of how leaders' internal commitment shapes group safety climate through observable actions, while identifying job autonomy as an important boundary condition.