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Procedia Computer Science 158 (2019) 1052–1057

3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WOCTINE)

3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WOCTINE)
Leadership Approach in Occupational Safety: Taiwan Sample
Leadership Approach in Occupational Safety: Taiwan Sample
Çağdaş Çalış1,*, Banu Yeşim Büyükakıncı2
1
Çağdaş Çalış1,*, Banu Yeşim Büyükakıncı2
PhD Student, Institute of Natural and Applied sciences, Division of Occupational Health and Safety, Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul, Turkey
2
1 Faculty
PhD Student, Institute of Natural andofApplied
Engineering, Textile
sciences, Engineering,
Division IstanbulHealth
of Occupational Aydin and
University, Istanbul,Aydin
Safety, Istanbul Turkey
University, Istanbul, Turkey
2
Faculty of Engineering, Textile Engineering, Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract
Abstract
Having an occupational health and safety management system does not completely guarantee the establishment of a safe working
Having an occupational
environment healthofand
and reduction safety management
occupational accidents.system does not
In addition to thecompletely guarantee
management system,the there
establishment
is a needoffora safe workingin
leadership
environment
occupationaland reduction
safety of occupational
to carry accidents.
out the operations and In addition
ensure the to the management
continuity system, there
of occupational healthisand
a need for activities.
safety leadershipThe
in
occupational safetyoftooccupational
conceptualization carry out thesafetyoperations
leadershipand ensure
plays the continuity
an important of occupational
role in the explanation ashealth
to howand safety activities.
to implement The
occupational
conceptualization
health and safetyofmanagement
occupationalsystem
safety leadership
and improve plays an importantsafety
organizational role inperformance.
the explanationIn as
thistoregard,
how to implement
contemporary occupational
leadership
health andintroduced
theories safety management system These
three approaches. and improve
theoriesorganizational
that contributedsafety performance.
to the developmentInofthis regard, contemporary
occupational leadership
safety leadership are as
theories
follows:introduced three approaches.
"Transformational Leadership These theories
Theory", that contributed
"Transactional to the development
Leadership Theory" and of occupational
"Delegative safety leadership
Leadership are as
Style" (Laissez-
follows: "Transformational
Faire). In Leadership
addition, the Multifactor Theory",Questionnaire
Leadership "Transactional Leadership
(MLQ) Theory"
was formed and "Delegative
to define leadershipLeadership
behaviors. Style" (Laissez-
Faire). In addition, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was formed to define leadership behaviors.
In this study, Theory of occupational safety leadership developed in the Laboratory of Taiwan University was evaluated, the
Indistinctive
this study, Theory of occupational
characteristics of the theorysafety leadership developed
were determined, in the Laboratory
and the applicability of Taiwan University
of such characteristics in Turkeywas wereevaluated,
examinedtheby
distinctive
conductingcharacteristics of the theory
a literature review. were determined,
The applicability and the applicability
of occupational leadership of such characteristics
theory in Turkey was innegotiated
Turkey were examined by
by evaluating the
conducting
outcomes. a literature review. The applicability of occupational leadership theory in Turkey was negotiated by evaluating the
outcomes.
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
© 2019
© 2019 The
The Authors.
Author(s). Published
PublishedbybyElsevier B.V.
Peer-review under responsibility ofElsevier B.V. committee of the 3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and
the scientific
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Keywords: Occupational Safety; Leadership; Turkey;
Keywords: Occupational Safety; Leadership; Turkey;

1. Introduction
1. Introduction
1.1. The Concept of Occupational Safety
1.1. The Concept of Occupational Safety
While the term "security" has been in use for a long time, "occupational safety" is a recent term which has been
While the term
introduced "security"
to the has been
agenda and used in useindustrialization.
with for a long time, "occupational safety"
In a broad sense, is refers
safety a recent
"a term
legalwhich hasa been
order in society in
introduced to the agenda and used with industrialization. In a broad sense, safety refers "a legal order in a society in
* Corresponding author. E-mail address: cagdascalis@stu.aydin.edu.tr
* Corresponding author. E-mail address: cagdascalis@stu.aydin.edu.tr

1877-0509 © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.

1877-0509 © under
Peer-review 2019 The Author(s).
responsibility ofPublished by committee
the scientific Elsevier B.V.
of the 3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

1877-0509 © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd World Conference on Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.146
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2 Çalış & Büyükakıncı/ Procedia Computer Science 00 (2019) 000–000

which people can live without any fear”. Occupational Safety is related to the employee who is doing the job by nature
and it expresses the protection of the employee's safety at work against the dangers arising from the work they do [1].

1.2. The Concept of Leadership

As people are socially living creatures in groups, they also need people who will lead these groups according to
their goals [2]. The person who uses his influence, ability and knowledge to guide groups in achieving these goals is
defined as leader [3]. For Pater, R. (2001), leadership is both the science and the art of creating a positive change by
working with others [4].

1.3. The Concept of Occupational Safety Leadership

Occupational safety leadership is a sub-system of organizational leadership and its quality has an important
contribution on the organizational leadership [5]. Wu et al. (2007) defines occupational safety leadership as follows:
“the process of interaction between leaders and followers, through which leaders could exert their influence on
followers to achieve organizational safety goals under the circumstances of organizational and individual factors” [6].
Although there are many leadership approaches, the table below shows only the approaches and dimensions of
occupational safety leadership.

Table 1. Safety Leadership Theories

Specific Name Dimensions Developed by
Effective 1. Caring Cooper (1998)
Safety Leadership 2. Controlling
Safety Culture Leadership 1. To make the case for change Carrillo&Simon (1999)
Inventory (SCLI) 2. To create a shared vision
3. To build trust and open communication
4. To develop capabilities
5. To monitor progress
6. To recognize accomplishments
10 Leadership Qualities for a 1. Leaders focus on process Geller (2000)
Total Safety Culture 2. Leaders educate
3. Leaders use conditional statements
4. Leaders Listen First
5. Leaders Promote Ownership
6. Leaders Encourage Choice
7. Leaders Set Expectations
8. Leaders are Confident but Uncertain
9. Leaders Look Beyond the Numbers
10. Leaders Make More Distinctions
- 1. Visibility O’Dea & Flin (2001)
2. Relationships
3. Workforce involvement
4. Proactive management
Safety Leadership Scale (SLS) 1. Safety Coaching Wu (2005)
2. Safety Caring
3. Safety Controlling

The three main leadership styles developed by Bass (1985), which are associated with the occupational safety
leadership approach in recent years include: Transformational Leadership Theory", "Transactional Leadership
Theory" and "Delegative Leadership Style" (Laissez-Faire). Transformational leadership can reveal the safety
performance or behaviour because it encourages employees by doing everything possible to achieve the safety goal
[7] [8]. Transactional leaders support the achievement of the goal by clarifying the relationships between security
performance requirements and organizational culture to achieve the desired results for the settlement of changes [9].

Table 2. Bass’s Leadership Style [7].

Leadership Style Dimensions
Transformational 1. Idealized Influence
2. Inspirational Motivation
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3. Intellectual Stimulation
4. Individualized Consideration
Transactional 1. Contingent reward
2. Management-by-exception

1.4. Occupational Health and Safety Management System

The Occupational Health and Safety Management System is a system that involves the implementation, supervision
and control of everyone from the lowest to the highest position for the creation of a healthy and safe environment for
the employees [10].

According to ILO Occupational Health and Safety Management System is “A set of interrelated or interacting
elements to establish OSH policy and objectives, and to achieve those objectives.” [11]

2. Leadership Scale (Safety Leadership Scale-SLS) Specific to Occupational Safety

Leadership Evaluation surveys have emerged from studies in the West and reflect Western values. Wu, T.-C. (2005)
developed, with a non-Western approach, a relevant scale in the context of universities in Taiwan [5]. SLS (Safety
Leadership Scale) was adapted from the leadership behavior scale developed by Kang, Su, Jang, and Sheu (2001) and
developed by Wu, T.-C. (2005) [6].

Table 3. The leadership scale developed by Kang, Su, Jang & Sheu is matching Bass leadership styles with the dimensions of SLS [5] [12].
Leadership Style of Dimensions of Dimensions of Definiton
Bass Kang et al SLS
Monarch (Jiun) Safety The leader sets the rules and standards of conduct to be followed as a guide for
Transactional Controlling the organization. Considering business performance and using her/his power
Leadership and skills, leader rewards well-performing employees and warns poor-
performing staff.
Parent (Chin) Safety Caring The leader acts as a parent, creates a family atmosphere, behaves and cares
her/his employees like her/his own children. The leader should respect, trust
and meet the needs of employees and understand the challenges they may face.
Transformational In this respect, the leader guides the behaviors of employess by acting as a
Leadership parent.
Mentor (Shy) Safety Coaching As a mentor and a role model the leader should guide. She/He should awaken
employees' abilities, share their views and involve them in decision-making
processes.

SLS has three dimensions; safety coaching, safety caring, and safety controlling. Each dimension consists of 3
domains and there are 5 variables in each area, the total of which makes 45 variables.

Table 4. SLS dimensions and domains.

Dimensions Domains Number of Variables
Role model 5
Safety coaching Intelligence inspiration 5
Sharing and participation 5
Harmony value 5
Safety caring Respect and trust 5
Caring and understanding 5
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Power utilization 5
Safety controlling Regulations establishment 5
Techniques manipulation 5

3. Samples Implementation of Safety Leadership Scale (SLS)

A research was conducted with 322 employees at 2 universities in the center of Taiwan to test the accuracy and
reliability of SLS. In this research, the safety leadership of the rectors at these two Taiwan universities was assessed.
In this research, Wu has shown that SLS is a good assessment method that can be used to predict safety leadership at
universities' laboratories and other units. [5].

At 4 universities in the center of Taiwan, a research has been carried out to assess the influence of security
leadership on security climate and safety performance. Surveys on occupational safety leadership, safety climate and
safety performance scales were conducted to the 465 individuals. In this research, where SLS is used, occupational
safety climate is shown to be mediating the relationship between occupational safety leadership and occupational
safety performance. [6].

A research was conducted on the perceived occupational safety leadership at the electrical and electronics
engineering laboratories of 147 universities in Taiwan. In this research, the managers (lecturers, assistant professors,
associate professors and professors) at the universities with occupational safety committee have been shown to have
a sense of safety leadership [12].

Among the 23 employees working in seven different departments of a petrochemical company in the center of
Taiwan, a survey was conducted to assess the relationship between occupational safety leadership where SLS is used,
occupational safety climate and occupational safety performance. The study shows that work safety climate mediates
the relationship between occupational safety leadership and occupational safety performance. In addition,
occupational safety leadership has a positive effect on occupational safety climate and occupational safety
performance [13].

In a research conducted in the manufacturing sectors in Malaysia, it has been revealed that the dimensions
suggested by SLS play an important role in determining safety caring, safety coaching, safety controlling and the level
of work safety. In addition, the manufacturing employees' perception of occupational safety leadership has an effect
on whether they perform their work in a safe or unsafe manner. [14].

4. Conclusion and Suggestion

Occupational safety leadership is influenced by the leadership approach of the organization. However, the quality
of occupational safety leadership has an impact on the leadership of the organization. It is observed in researches that
organizations' achievement of occupational safety performance is dependent upon the level of organizational culture
related to occupational safety and the occupational safety leadership perception that creates and maintains that culture.
The occupational safety climate triggers the relationship between occupational safety leadership and performance, and
occupational safety leadership has an impact on both the occupational safety climate and occupational safety
performance.

SLS with its unique dimensions seems to be a good tool in the assessment of the perception and approach of
occupational safety leadership. With good results have been achieved at the university laboratories and the
departments where SLS is applied, SLS has led the studies in the manufacturing sector and in petrochemicals.
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Implementation of solely the normative approach in occupational safety is not sufficient for the reduction of
occupational accidents in Turkey. When the concept of leadership is viewed as guiding groups in achieving the
common goals, occupational safety leadership has a key role in achieving the goal of minimizing accidents in Turkey.
In this context, SLS, with its structure involving occupational safety as well, and the occupational safety leadership
perception assessments to be carried out particularly in construction, mining and manufacturing industries in Turkey
will show the level of leadership with respect to the goal of the reducing of accidents in Turkey.

Appendix. Variables of the Safety Leadership Scale (SLS)

Variables

1. He/She can handle safety business honestly.

2. He/She can obey the working rules regarding safety and health and be an exemplar at the same time.
3. He/she will take the responsibility of any accident or disaster without shirking his/her responsibility.
4. He/she will stick to his/her principles when dealing with safety business.
5. He/she deals with safety business with flexibility under different circumstances.
6. He/she would help the employees to recognize the importance of safety.
7. He/she would encourage the employees to attend safety activities to learn knowledge regarding safety.
8. He/she would not reject to learn new knowledge of safety and would set up a climate of learning for the
employees.
9. He/she could explain the notion of safety clearly and make you learn a lot from him/her.
10. He/she encourages the employees to investigate the causes resulting in accidents.
11. He/she shares the notion of safety with the employees to encourage their cooperation.
12. He/she authorizes different units to have their own decision about safety business.
13. He/she would discuss important safety matters with the employees before making decisions.
14. He/she would picture a good working environment for you to achieve as a whole.
15. He/she would illustrate what a safety paradigm is and encourage the employees to learn.
16. He/she would treat employees kindly when dealing with safety business.
17. He/she would help set up harmonious ambience to facilitate the friendship among the employees.
18. He/she would try to solve the conflicts between the employees.
19. He/she can reasonably deal with the allocation of safety resources.
20. He/she would try to maintain the harmony between different departments when dealing with safety business.
21. He/she would not censure the employees publicly for their unsafe behaviors.
22. He/she would accept any criticism from the employees regarding safety business.
23. He/she would trust the employees and would not doubt their ability of dealing with safety business.
24. He/she is confident of the employees’ ability of accomplishing safety goals.
25. He/she would censure the employees publicly for their unsafe behaviors.
26. He/she would show concern of the employees’ everyday life.
27. He/she would try to satisfy the employees’ needs of safety.
28. He/she believes accidents or disasters result from unsafe working environment.
29. He/she would give the employees another chance to rectify when they disobey the safety rules.
30. He/she would show his/her appreciation when the employees accomplish their safety business.
31. He/she would require the employees to accomplish safety goals with a firm attitude.
32. He/she would reward those departments with good performance of safety business.
33. He/she would punish those departments with poor performance of safety business.
34. He/she would request every employee to be responsible for his/her own working safety.
35. He/she would request the employees to accomplish their safety missions duly.
36. He/she supports the regulation of labors’ safety and health management should be established.
37. He/she would request every employee to obey the working rules regarding safety and health.
38. He/she would fairly deal with safety business.
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39. He/she would ask the employees to execute the regulations of labors’ safety and health management in a strict
manner.
40. He/she would amend the regulations of labors’ safety and health management timely.
41. He/she would request safety and health manager to concentrate his attention on safety business.
42. He/she would ask the department of safety and health management to set up safety and health work plans.
43. He/she would require the employees to improve safety defects continuously.
44. He/she would evaluate the safety performance of the employees regularly.
45. He/she would promote those who perform good practice of safety.

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