Correlates of Safety Behaviour Among Retail Workers in Northern Malaysia: Management Commitment, Safety Training, Awareness, and Culture

Workplace accidents in the retail sector, though often less fatal than those in construction or manufacturing, continue to contribute significantly to non-permanent disabilities in Malaysia. Understanding the factors that shape retail workers’ safety behaviour is therefore essential for improving occupational safety in this sector. This study examines the correlations between management commitment, safety training, safety awareness, safety culture, and safety behaviour among retail workers in northern Malaysia. Safety behaviour was assessed through two dimensions: safety compliance and safety participation. Data were collected from 177 retail employees in Perlis and Kedah using a structured questionnaire consisting of 38 items measured on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive analysis, normality tests, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 29. The findings revealed significant positive correlations between safety training and safety compliance, safety awareness and safety participation, as well as safety culture with both compliance and participation. In contrast, management commitment demonstrated weaker correlations with safety behaviour. These results highlight the importance of strengthening safety culture, training, and awareness initiatives in the retail sector, where accident rates remain concerning despite relatively low fatality levels. The study is limited by financial and time constraints, along with the restricted geographic scope. Future research is encouraged to expand to other regions and apply qualitative approaches for deeper insights.