Perceived colleagues' safety knowledge/behavior and safety performance: safety climate as a moderator in a multilevel study.

This study presented a model specifying the relationship of unit-level safety climate and perceived colleagues' safety knowledge/behavior (PCSK/B) to safety behavior (safety compliance and safety participation), as well as safety performance (injuries and near misses). PCSK/B, a measure of descriptive norms, was taken as a new individual-level predictor. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated the significant cross-level interaction effects of unit-level safety climate and PCSK/B on safety behavior, i.e., the more positive the safety climate, the stronger effects PCSK/B has on safety behavior. The effect of PCSK/B on injuries was mediated by safety behavior. Implications for management and safety climate research were discussed.