Citation

DeJoy DM. J. Occup. Accid. 1987; 9(3): 213-223.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An experimental study was conducted to examine how those in supervisory roles perceive and respond to multi-causal workplace accidents. Subjects were presented with industrial accident reports in which the immediate cause was either internal or external to the involved worker and where the prior cause was internal, external, or not specified. The results showed that regardless of whether the immediate cause was internal or external to the worker, introducing a same type prior cause added little to the information provided by the immediate cause. However, introducing an opposite prior cause cancelled the effects of the immediate cause, but only when the prior cause was internal. An external prior cause did not reverse the effects of an internal immediate cause. In general, the temporal position of the cause was less critical than its internality-externality. Viewed together, the findings suggest that supervisors attach greater significance to internal causes in explaining subordinate safety performance, and that they are likely to resolve conflicting causal data by focusing on internal causes.