Effective managers of workplace safety: A topic taxonomy of manager's safety competency

Abstract

Despite the recent advancement in safety competency research, existing literature reviews have been scattered across diverse fields and mostly examined the competency only within the boundary of an organization without considering the broader ecosystem. To address these existing gaps, our study conducted a comprehensive review where we identify and integrate the broader core competency essential for managers in managing technical/physical workplace risks, managing employees’ psychological experiences related to safety, and navigating the relationships and interactions with external stakeholders. To achieve this, we conducted a systematic literature review, analyzing publications from academic and practical fields spanning up to the year 2023, to derive the main components of the taxonomy of manager safety competency. Recognizing the expansive scope of safety competency, we extracted five key factors critical for industrial and occupational safety. These factors served as key components within the theoretical framework of safety competencies, especially for managers in industrial organizations. We applied these factors in our topic modeling analysis. This analysis identified the five core components of the manager safety competency model: 1) system management, 2) practice management, 3) stakeholder management, 4) interaction management, and 5) on-site risk assessment. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as future research directions, are discussed. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd