Older Male Construction Workers and Sustainability: Work-Related Risk Factors and Health Problems

The Mediating Role of Safety Climate in the Relationship between Transformational Safety Leadership and Safe Behavior—The Case of Two Companies in Turkey and Romania

Safety leadership, safe behavior, and safety climate, which are important parts of occupational safety culture, are important in terms of preventing occupational accidents and making the working environment ergonomic. In this context, this study aims to examine the mediating effect of the safety climate on the relationship between transformational leadership and safe behavior. Research was carried out with 287 participants working in two manufacturing plants, one from Turkey and one from Romania. The two data sets were consolidated into a single database (both companies being providers of manufacturing products for the same client in the automotive industry) and were analyzed using the Preacher and Hayes plugin in the SPSS 21 package program because of the research interest in investigating safety behavior in the manufacturing field. The results of the analysis showed that the safety climate had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between transformational leadership and safe behavior. In addition, the study results demonstrated that transformational safety leadership has a significant influence on employees’ perceptions of safety climate and plays an important role in occupational safety-related behaviors. Research results were helpful for practitioners (managers in both companies) and researchers in understanding the importance of safety-climate and transformational safety leadership practices in increasing occupational safety-related behaviors.

Physiological Indices and Subjective Thermal Perception of Heat Stress-Exposed Workers in an Industrial Plant

This study aimed to investigate the thermal responses of acclimated workers exposed to heat stress in a real work environment. The physiological indices and subjective thermal perception of the 14 acclimated workers were measured in an industrial plant. The effects of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) on physiological indices and subjective thermal perception were studied. The differences in thermal responses between the acclimated workers and unacclimated college students exposed to heat stress were compared and analyzed. The relationship between the mean skin temperature and the thermal sensation was revealed. The results show that the mean skin temperature, oral temperature, and heart rate of the acclimated workers increase with WBGT, while the blood pressure decreases with WBGT. Compared with the unacclimated college students, the acclimated workers felt more comfortable and tolerant under the same heat stress. The thermal neutral mean skin temperature of the acclimated workers is 32.3 °C, which is approximately 1.0 °C lower than that of the unacclimated college students. The results of this study can help ensure the occupational safety and health of heat stress-exposed workers.