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Non-Technical Skills in Social Networks: The Spread of Safety Communication and Teamwork in a Warehouse

Author

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  • Alessio Paolucci

    (Department of Education Studies “Giovanni Maria Bertin”, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy)

  • Sergio Sangiorgi

    (Unveil Consulting, 48018 Faenza, Italy)

  • Marco Giovanni Mariani

    (Unveil Consulting, 48018 Faenza, Italy
    Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy)

Abstract

Safety at work should be considered as the result of the daily interaction of operators. The present research wants to analyze which factors are involved in the development of social networks about safety at work. We assumed that two relational non-technical skills, such as safety communication and safety team member support, affect the in-degree and out-degree bonds of workers in social networks. One hundred and eight workers of a warehouse were the participants of the research, in which they were asked to fill out a self-reported questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results confirmed that safety communication and safety support skills play a role in determining the quantity and the quality of social bonds that workers can create at the workplace. To be specific, while safety communication was found to be associated with out-degree centrality (b = 0.24; p = 0.01), a nonsignificant relationship was found for in-degree centrality. In contrast, safety team member support was found to be associated with in-degree centrality (b = 0.28; p = 0.04). In other words, on the one hand, it was found that high levels of safety communication skills are associated with the tendency of workers to proactively search for colleagues with whom they can share information about safety. On the other hand, workers with high levels of safety support skills tend to be considered as reference points in terms of safety by colleagues, who are more prone to look for their help. Implications for both scientists and practitioners are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessio Paolucci & Sergio Sangiorgi & Marco Giovanni Mariani, 2021. "Non-Technical Skills in Social Networks: The Spread of Safety Communication and Teamwork in a Warehouse," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-13, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:467-:d:477178
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rayyan Alsamadani & Matthew Hallowell & Amy Nicole Javernick-Will, 2013. "Measuring and modelling safety communication in small work crews in the US using social network analysis," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(6), pages 568-579, June.
    2. Muller, Eitan & Peres, Renana, 2019. "The effect of social networks structure on innovation performance: A review and directions for research," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 3-19.
    3. Marco Giovanni Mariani & Michela Vignoli & Rita Chiesa & Francesco Saverio Violante & Dina Guglielmi, 2019. "Improving Safety through Non-Technical Skills in Chemical Plants: The Validity of a Questionnaire for the Self-Assessment of Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-14, March.
    4. Marco Nunes & António Abreu, 2020. "Applying Social Network Analysis to Identify Project Critical Success Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-32, February.
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