| The success of safety programs in organizations is measured, in general, by the number and severity of occupational accidents. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 4,547 work-related fatalities and 3.1 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the year 2010. Occupational accidents and illnesses are a social problem that brings human suffering and economic problems to employees, employees' families, organizations, and communities. Safety climate research has established positive relationships between employees' safety attitudes, perceptions, and safety performance. However, studies on trust in safety management systems were not found in the literature review. The social exchange theory was used as a framework in this study. This theory has been used to study interpersonal and organizational trust. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined the relationship between employees' trust in safety management systems and the systems' individual elements (independent variable) and employees' attitudes and perceptions toward safety (dependent variables). Power plant employees completed a survey. The study results suggested a significant positive correlation between the trust in the safety management system and attitudes and perceptions of safety. The study provides recommendations to improve safety performance in the organization by improving employees' trust in the safety management systems. The study results represent a potential impact for positive social change by providing evidence that improving trust in a safety management system is an additional approach for organizations to improve safety performance. |
