Changes in safety behavior and job satisfaction among municipal green space workers following a protection motivation theory informed intervention

Abstract Urban green spaces workers face numerous occupational hazards and may have insufficient awareness of risks and safety practices. This study investigated the effect of a Protection Motivation Theory (PMT)-informed multicomponent occupational-health intervention on safety behavior and job satisfaction among Fasa Municipality green space workers. This quasi-experimental study included 137 male green space workers in Fasa, Iran, in 2023. To minimize information contamination, allocation was performed at the workplace level, with 92 workers in the intervention group and 45 in the control group. The intervention comprised four educational sessions and health-related activities. Data were collected at baseline and one-month post-intervention using a demographic questionnaire, the Michigan Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, and a researcher-made PMT-based questionnaire. Outcomes were compared using analysis of covariance, adjusting for baseline values. The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the control group across all assessed outcomes (all P < 0.001). The adjusted mean difference (AMD) was largest for safety behaviors (AMD = 9.64, 95% CI: 8.07–11.21; partial η 2 = 0.552), followed by response cost (AMD = − 4.73, 95% CI: −5.59 to − 3.87; partial η 2 = 0.496) and self-efficacy (AMD = 3.71, 95% CI: 2.99–4.43; partial η 2 = 0.464). Significant effects were also observed for response efficacy, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived rewards, and job satisfaction (partial η 2 = 0.323–0.389). The results suggest that a PMT-informed occupational-health intervention was associated with short-term improvements in safety-related outcomes and job satisfaction. Larger studies with longer follow-up and objective safety measures are warranted.