“Work safely for my family”: The effects of family motivation on safety compliance and participation in power grid construction in China

Abstract

While family motivation has been indicated as a significant drive for many work conducts, there is a dearth of studies about its role in the safety management process. Drawn on action identification theory and self-determination theory, a research model was developed to explore how family motivation affected safety compliance and safety participation via risk perception and job instrumentality. Hypotheses were tested by survey data collected from a power grid construction firm, where both safety concerns and family motivation were salient. The results showed that family motivation had both a positive direct effect on safety compliance and an indirect impact through risk perception. However, family motivation indicated an adverse indirect effect on safety participation through job instrumentality. Theoretical contributions to the literature and practical implications for promoting workplace safety of the findings were discussed.