Samarinda – Safety training and safety communication alone are not enough to improve workplace safety performance. Their effectiveness depends largely on whether organizations successfully build a strong safety culture. This conclusion comes from a study conducted by Dwi Furi Oktaviani, Zainal Ilmi, and Doddy Adhimursandi from Mulawarman University, published in 2026 in the International Journal of Scientific Multidisciplinary Research (IJSMR). The research demonstrates that safety culture acts as the critical mechanism that transforms safety programs into consistent safe behavior among employees working in high-risk industries.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) has become one of the most important priorities in industries with high operational risks, particularly oil and gas equipment manufacturing. Companies are expected not only to achieve production targets but also to ensure that employees perform their duties safely and return home without injury. As a result, organizations invest heavily in safety training, hazard communication, and various occupational safety initiatives designed to reduce workplace accidents.
The study was motivated by operational conditions at PT Sagatrade Murni Samarinda, an oilfield equipment manufacturing company located in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Company records showed fluctuating workplace accident statistics between 2021 and 2023. Both Lost Time Injuries (LTI) and Lost Workday Cases (LWC) reached six cases in 2021, dropped to zero after safety interventions in 2022, but increased again to three cases each in 2023. These fluctuations suggest that implementing safety programs alone does not automatically guarantee sustainable improvements in workplace safety performance.
To better understand this issue, Dwi Furi Oktaviani and colleagues conducted a study involving 160 operational employees working in production, quality control, warehouse, logistics, and Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) departments. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling and were required to have at least one year of work experience in high-risk operational environments. Data were collected between January and May 2026 and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS software.
The respondent profile reflects a workforce with extensive operational exposure. Ninety-two and a half percent of participants were male, while the largest age group was 25 to 29 years old, representing 35.63 percent of the sample. Most respondents had completed senior high school or vocational education, accounting for 71.88 percent, and the majority worked in production units where workplace hazards are greatest.
Descriptive analysis indicated that all major variables received high evaluations from employees. Safety Training achieved an average score of 4.26, Safety Communication scored 4.19, Safety Culture reached 4.21, and Safety Performance recorded 4.17. These results suggest that employees generally perceive the company's safety programs, communication practices, organizational safety culture, and safety behavior as being well established.
The structural analysis, however, revealed a much more important finding. Safety Training significantly improved Safety Culture, producing a path coefficient of 0.440. Likewise, Safety Communication had a positive and significant effect on Safety Culture, with a coefficient of 0.496. These findings indicate that high-quality safety education and continuous communication help strengthen employees' collective safety values and attitudes.
Among all variables examined, Safety Culture had the strongest direct influence on Safety Performance, producing a path coefficient of 0.677. This finding suggests that when safety becomes an integral part of organizational values and daily routines, employees are more likely to follow safety procedures, wear protective equipment correctly, report hazards, participate in safety initiatives, and consistently demonstrate safe working behavior.
Interestingly, the researchers found that neither Safety Training nor Safety Communication had a statistically significant direct effect on Safety Performance. Safety Training produced a direct coefficient of -0.070, while Safety Communication generated a coefficient of only 0.122, with both relationships proving statistically insignificant. These results indicate that simply conducting training sessions or communicating safety messages does not automatically improve employees' safety behavior unless those activities successfully strengthen the organization's safety culture.
Further mediation analysis reinforced this conclusion. Safety Culture fully mediated the relationship between Safety Training and Safety Performance, as well as between Safety Communication and Safety Performance. In other words, safety programs become effective only after employees internalize shared safety values and incorporate them into their daily work practices.
According to Dwi Furi Oktaviani and colleagues from Mulawarman University, organizations should move beyond viewing safety training and communication as isolated activities. Instead, companies should integrate safety into their organizational culture through leadership commitment, two-way communication, active hazard reporting, regular evaluation of near-miss incidents, recognition of safe behavior, and continuous field supervision. Once safety becomes a shared organizational value rather than merely a formal procedure, employees become more proactive in identifying risks and consistently applying safe work practices.
The study offers important implications for companies operating in hazardous industries. Investment in safety training and communication remains essential, but sustainable improvements in occupational safety depend on whether organizations successfully build a strong safety culture. Rather than focusing solely on compliance, companies should embed safety values into everyday operations so that workplace safety becomes a natural part of employees' behavior.
Overall, the findings reinforce the idea that workplace safety is influenced not only by technical procedures but also by organizational culture and human behavior. A strong safety culture serves as the bridge that transforms safety knowledge and communication into consistent safe actions, reducing workplace accidents, improving productivity, and creating safer and more sustainable working environments.
Author Profile
Research Source
Article Title: The Influence of Safety Training and Safety Communication on Safety Performance: The Mediating Role of Safety Culture
Journal: International Journal of Scientific Multidisciplinary Research (IJSMR), Vol. 4, No. 7, 2026.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijsmr.v4i7.97
Journal Link: https://journalijsmr.my.id/index.php/ijsmr
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