THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT IN ADOPTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

At the very core of organizational sustainability lies the health and safety of its people, the welfare of society, and the conservation of resources. Adoption of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is considered as a way forward to achieve organizational sustainability. However, due to an increased number of incidents, OHS has become a serious concern in Pakistan. This creates a dire need for OHS adoption in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to prevent such incidents and achieve sustainable OHS performance. This study aims to examine the factors playing a vital role in OHS adoption that leads to sustainable OHS performance in HEIs of Pakistan. The data were collected through a survey questionnaire from academic and administrative employees of the top 23 universities of Pakistan. A total of 306 responses were analysed in the Partial Least Square (PLS) approach of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test the research hypotheses and validate the model. The findings showed that external pressure (regulatory, mimetic, competitive, and social) serves as the main stimulus for the adoption of OHS practices in HEIs of Pakistan. In addition, management commitment in implementing the OHS practices serves as a mediator that catalyses the impact of external pressure on OHS adoption. Consequently, successful adoption of OHS practices leads to sustainable OHS performance in HEIs. The findings imply that external pressure alone may not be sufficient to push HEIs for OHS adoption unless the top management shows real commitment.