Factors Influencing Employees’ Perceptions of Occupational Safety Management in Plastic Manufacturing Factories in Lamphun Province

Abstract

This study investigates the factors influencing employees’ perceptions of occupational safety management in plastic manufacturing factories in Lamphun Province, Thailand, a growing industrial hub with significant safety challenges. The research was guided by two objectives: (1) to examine employees’ perceptions of occupational safety management and (2) to identify the organizational and managerial factors shaping these perceptions. The study applied a quantitative research design to ensure systematic measurement and generalizable findings. A sample of 400 respondents was drawn from 58 factories, consisting of 58 managers, 58 safety officers, and 284 production employees, using stratified and proportional sampling methods. Structured questionnaires were developed and validated with expert review and a pilot test, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.914, indicating high reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple regression techniques. Findings revealed that employees generally reported high perceptions of safety management (Mean = 4.06, SD = 0.50), recognizing strong practices such as accident investigations, new-hire safety orientation, hazard surveys, and regular health examinations. Managers expressed high levels of safety attitudes (Mean = 4.34, SD = 0.31), especially toward policy and compliance, whereas safety officers demonstrated moderate overall practice (Mean = 3.20, SD = 0.30) with notable strengths in safety management, surveying, and prevention but less consistency across domains. Correlation analysis indicated that managerial attitudes were positively associated with officers’ practices (r = .38–.52, p ≤ .01), which in turn significantly influenced employees’ perceptions, confirming an indirect leadership effect. Regression analysis identified officers’ visible management practices (e.g., safety committees, training, role assignments) as the strongest predictor of employees’ safety perceptions (β = .194, p = .027). Interestingly, managerial planning attitudes exhibited negative coefficients across several models, suggesting that over-formalized or misaligned planning weakened effective safety implementation. These results support safety-climate theory by demonstrating that employees’ perceptions are shaped less by direct managerial attitudes than by the practices operationalized by safety officers. The findings highlight the importance of aligning leadership, officer practices, and employee engagement to strengthen occupational safety outcomes. The study contributes to the literature by contextualizing safety management within Thailand’s industrial sector and offers practical implications for policymakers and factory managers to refine training, participatory planning, and continuous improvement in safety systems.