Risk management: Which management practices are best predictors of employee injury rates?

This study examined the degree to which six management practices (rewards, communication/feedback, management support, selection, training and participation) frequently included in safety programs, contributed to a safe work environment for hospital employees. Risk managers from 62 participating hospitals provided data concerning management practices and employee injuries. Overall, the management practices reliably predicted hospital employee injury rates. A factor analysis was performed on the management practices scale (items comprising six subscales), resulting in the development of six new factor scales. A multiple regression was performed on these factor scales. Factor 2 (proactive activities) was found to be a reliable predictor of employee injuries. Factor 1 (remedial measures) acted as a suppressor variable. The results indicate that while most of the participating hospitals implemented the reactive practices comprising Factor 1, what differentiated the hospitals with low injury rates was that they also employed proactive measures to prevent accidents.