Volume 12, Issue 1 (Spring 2026)
J Health Res Commun 2026, 12(1): 35-46 |
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Kamali S, Najafi Ghobadi K, Shirazinejad A, khani K. The Relationship Between Safety Climate and Safety Culture in Tea-Processing Workshops in Gilan Province. J Health Res Commun 2026; 12 (1) :35-46
URL: http://jhc.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1224-en.html
URL: http://jhc.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1224-en.html
Student Research Committee, Esfarayen Faculty of Medical Sciences, Esfarayen, Iran.
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Introduction
The tea-processing industry is one of the most important agro-industrial sectors in northern Iran and exposes workers to a variety of occupational hazards, including mechanical, physical, ergonomic, and organizational risks. Establishing an effective safety management system is therefore essential to reduce occupational accidents and improve workers› health and productivity. Among organizational factors, safety climate and safety culture are recognized as key determinants of employees› safety behaviors and organizational safety performance. While safety climate reflects workers› perceptions of management›s commitment to safety, safety culture represents the shared values, beliefs, and attitudes toward safety within an organization. Although the relationship between these two concepts has been investigated in several industrial settings, evidence from the tea-processing industry remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between safety climate and safety culture among employees working in tea-processing workshops in Gilan Province, Iran. The findings are expected to provide evidence for designing effective safety interventions, improving managerial practices, strengthening employee participation, and promoting a sustainable safety culture in tea-processing workplaces.
Methods
This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 among workers employed in three tea-processing workshops located in eastern Gilan Province, Iran. The study population consisted of all employees working in different production units. Based on the estimated correlation coefficient reported in previous studies, a significance level of 0.05, and a statistical power of 80%, the required sample size was calculated as 134 participants. Using a simple random sampling method, workers were invited to participate voluntarily in the study. Of the distributed questionnaires, 116 were completed correctly and included in the final statistical analysis.
Data were collected using three instruments: A demographic information checklist, the Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50), and the Sharon Safety Culture Questionnaire.
The demographic questionnaire included age, gender, educational level, and work experience.
The NOSACQ-50 consists of 50 items covering seven dimensions, including management safety priority and commitment, management safety empowerment, management safety justice, workers› safety commitment, workers› safety priority and risk non-acceptance, safety communication and learning, and trust in the efficacy of safety systems. Responses were recorded on a four-point Likert scale, with negatively worded items scored in reverse. Higher scores indicated a more favorable safety climate.
Safety culture was assessed using the Sharon Safety Culture Questionnaire, which contains 21 items in two domains: safety culture and organizational safety assessment. Responses were rated on a five-point Likert scale, and higher scores reflected a more positive safety culture. Before questionnaire administration, the objectives of the study were explained to all participants, informed consent was obtained, and confidentiality of the collected information was assured.
Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 22. Descriptive statistics were calculated, while the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test assessed data normality. Because the variables were not normally distributed, non-parametric statistical tests, including Spearman›s correlation coefficients, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis test, the Chi-square test, and the Fisher›s exact test, were used. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.
Results
A total of 116 workers participated in the study, of whom 90 (77.6%) were male. The mean age of the participants was 34.91±11.21 years, while the average work experience was 8.56±6.79 years. Nearly half of the participants (48.3%) had less than a high school diploma. The total mean score of safety climate was 3.19±0.28 (out of 4), indicating a moderate level of perceived safety climate across the investigated workshops. The total mean score of safety culture was 81.85±14.60 (out of 105), reflecting a relatively favorable organizational safety culture among the participants.
Among the safety climate dimensions, the highest mean score was observed for trust in the efficacy of safety systems (3.37±0.34), followed by workers’ safety commitment (3.25±0.47) and safety communication, learning, and trust (3.24±0.31). In contrast, the lowest score was related to workers› safety priority and risk non-acceptance (2.81±0.31), suggesting that employees were less likely to reject risky work practices under certain working conditions.
The results of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test demonstrated that the study variables were not normally distributed. Therefore, non-parametric statistical tests were applied for subsequent analyses. Spearman›s correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between overall safety culture and safety climate (r=0.455, P<0.001). Moreover, a stronger positive correlation was identified between organizational safety assessment and safety climate (r=0.703, P<0.001), indicating that employees who evaluated organizational safety practices more positively also perceived a more favorable safety climate.
No statistically significant associations were found between safety climate and demographic variables, including age, gender, or work experience (P>0.05). Likewise, safety culture dimensions were not significantly associated with demographic characteristics. However, a significant relationship was observed between the management safety empowerment dimension and participants› educational level (P=0.017), suggesting that workers with different educational backgrounds perceived managerial authority and safety empowerment differently.
Overall, the findings indicate that organizational factors, particularly safety culture and employees› evaluation of organizational safety practices, play a more influential role than individual demographic characteristics in shaping safety climate within tea-processing workshops.
Conclusion
The findings of this study demonstrated that safety culture and organizational safety assessment were positively and significantly associated with safety climate among workers in tea-processing workshops in Gilan Province. These results emphasize the important role of organizational and managerial factors in shaping employees› perceptions of workplace safety. The strong relationship between organizational safety assessment and safety climate suggests that continuous evaluation of safety practices, management commitment, and improvement of safety systems can contribute to a more positive safety climate. In contrast, demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, and work experience showed no significant relationship with safety climate, indicating that organizational conditions may have a greater influence than individual characteristics in this context. Because this study employed a cross-sectional design, the observed relationships should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. Future studies are recommended to investigate the effects of safety leadership, employee participation, safety communication, working conditions, and occupational accident history on the development of safety climate.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was conducted in accordance with ethical principles. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Esfarayen University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.ESFARAYENUMS.REC.1404.036). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the study.
Funding
This study was funded by Esfarayen University of Medical Sciences (Grant No.: 403020).
Authors contributions
Conceived and designed the study: Sepideh Kamali; . Developed the methodology and conducted data collection: Kosar Khani; Performed data analysis and contributed to interpreting the data: Khadijeh Najafi Ghobadi; All authors participated in initial draft preparation, editing & review, and approved the final version.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support of Esfarayen University of Medical Sciences and also thank the management and employees of three tea-processing factories in Guilan Province for their valuable cooperation and assistance during data collection.
References
The tea-processing industry is one of the most important agro-industrial sectors in northern Iran and exposes workers to a variety of occupational hazards, including mechanical, physical, ergonomic, and organizational risks. Establishing an effective safety management system is therefore essential to reduce occupational accidents and improve workers› health and productivity. Among organizational factors, safety climate and safety culture are recognized as key determinants of employees› safety behaviors and organizational safety performance. While safety climate reflects workers› perceptions of management›s commitment to safety, safety culture represents the shared values, beliefs, and attitudes toward safety within an organization. Although the relationship between these two concepts has been investigated in several industrial settings, evidence from the tea-processing industry remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between safety climate and safety culture among employees working in tea-processing workshops in Gilan Province, Iran. The findings are expected to provide evidence for designing effective safety interventions, improving managerial practices, strengthening employee participation, and promoting a sustainable safety culture in tea-processing workplaces.
Methods
This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 among workers employed in three tea-processing workshops located in eastern Gilan Province, Iran. The study population consisted of all employees working in different production units. Based on the estimated correlation coefficient reported in previous studies, a significance level of 0.05, and a statistical power of 80%, the required sample size was calculated as 134 participants. Using a simple random sampling method, workers were invited to participate voluntarily in the study. Of the distributed questionnaires, 116 were completed correctly and included in the final statistical analysis.
Data were collected using three instruments: A demographic information checklist, the Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50), and the Sharon Safety Culture Questionnaire.
The demographic questionnaire included age, gender, educational level, and work experience.
The NOSACQ-50 consists of 50 items covering seven dimensions, including management safety priority and commitment, management safety empowerment, management safety justice, workers› safety commitment, workers› safety priority and risk non-acceptance, safety communication and learning, and trust in the efficacy of safety systems. Responses were recorded on a four-point Likert scale, with negatively worded items scored in reverse. Higher scores indicated a more favorable safety climate.
Safety culture was assessed using the Sharon Safety Culture Questionnaire, which contains 21 items in two domains: safety culture and organizational safety assessment. Responses were rated on a five-point Likert scale, and higher scores reflected a more positive safety culture. Before questionnaire administration, the objectives of the study were explained to all participants, informed consent was obtained, and confidentiality of the collected information was assured.
Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 22. Descriptive statistics were calculated, while the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test assessed data normality. Because the variables were not normally distributed, non-parametric statistical tests, including Spearman›s correlation coefficients, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis test, the Chi-square test, and the Fisher›s exact test, were used. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.
Results
A total of 116 workers participated in the study, of whom 90 (77.6%) were male. The mean age of the participants was 34.91±11.21 years, while the average work experience was 8.56±6.79 years. Nearly half of the participants (48.3%) had less than a high school diploma. The total mean score of safety climate was 3.19±0.28 (out of 4), indicating a moderate level of perceived safety climate across the investigated workshops. The total mean score of safety culture was 81.85±14.60 (out of 105), reflecting a relatively favorable organizational safety culture among the participants.
Among the safety climate dimensions, the highest mean score was observed for trust in the efficacy of safety systems (3.37±0.34), followed by workers’ safety commitment (3.25±0.47) and safety communication, learning, and trust (3.24±0.31). In contrast, the lowest score was related to workers› safety priority and risk non-acceptance (2.81±0.31), suggesting that employees were less likely to reject risky work practices under certain working conditions.
The results of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test demonstrated that the study variables were not normally distributed. Therefore, non-parametric statistical tests were applied for subsequent analyses. Spearman›s correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between overall safety culture and safety climate (r=0.455, P<0.001). Moreover, a stronger positive correlation was identified between organizational safety assessment and safety climate (r=0.703, P<0.001), indicating that employees who evaluated organizational safety practices more positively also perceived a more favorable safety climate.
No statistically significant associations were found between safety climate and demographic variables, including age, gender, or work experience (P>0.05). Likewise, safety culture dimensions were not significantly associated with demographic characteristics. However, a significant relationship was observed between the management safety empowerment dimension and participants› educational level (P=0.017), suggesting that workers with different educational backgrounds perceived managerial authority and safety empowerment differently.
Overall, the findings indicate that organizational factors, particularly safety culture and employees› evaluation of organizational safety practices, play a more influential role than individual demographic characteristics in shaping safety climate within tea-processing workshops.
Conclusion
The findings of this study demonstrated that safety culture and organizational safety assessment were positively and significantly associated with safety climate among workers in tea-processing workshops in Gilan Province. These results emphasize the important role of organizational and managerial factors in shaping employees› perceptions of workplace safety. The strong relationship between organizational safety assessment and safety climate suggests that continuous evaluation of safety practices, management commitment, and improvement of safety systems can contribute to a more positive safety climate. In contrast, demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, and work experience showed no significant relationship with safety climate, indicating that organizational conditions may have a greater influence than individual characteristics in this context. Because this study employed a cross-sectional design, the observed relationships should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. Future studies are recommended to investigate the effects of safety leadership, employee participation, safety communication, working conditions, and occupational accident history on the development of safety climate.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was conducted in accordance with ethical principles. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Esfarayen University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.ESFARAYENUMS.REC.1404.036). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the study.
Funding
This study was funded by Esfarayen University of Medical Sciences (Grant No.: 403020).
Authors contributions
Conceived and designed the study: Sepideh Kamali; . Developed the methodology and conducted data collection: Kosar Khani; Performed data analysis and contributed to interpreting the data: Khadijeh Najafi Ghobadi; All authors participated in initial draft preparation, editing & review, and approved the final version.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support of Esfarayen University of Medical Sciences and also thank the management and employees of three tea-processing factories in Guilan Province for their valuable cooperation and assistance during data collection.
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