Citation

Burt CDB, Banks MD, Williams SD. Safety Sci. 2014; 62: 136-144.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2013.08.006

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Two studies investigated the safety risks associated with engaging in helping type organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). A model is outlined which postulates that the job context in which OCBs are performed has important safety implications. Study 1 sampled 222 employees, and Study 2 sampled 79 employees, engaged in jobs that had a degree of safety risk. Both studies found evidence that helping co-workers can result in safety risks for both the helper and helped employee. Evidence was found to support four mechanisms through which helping can lead to safety issues, labelled the forgetting, unknown, unexpected and the time pressure mechanisms. Study 1 also found evidence that poor communication about helping could be particularly responsible for safety issues. Study 2 investigated the factors which might explain employees' failure to communicate helping efforts and the safety risks resulting from helping efforts. Results suggest that work related time pressure restricts communication about helping, while a desire not to seem ungrateful restricts communication about helping attempts which have lead to safety risks. Implications of the findings for promoting employee citizenship behavior and safety are outlined.