Abstract
Aim: The paper outlines a multidimensional approach to understanding and assessing the influence of safety leader supervision styles in eliciting open safety communication in the working teams operating in high-risk industries, like chemical operators, off-shore oil, gas industry, where the complexity of the production processes and high operational risks require continuous and differentiated communication. This study advances existing research in the chemical industry by moving beyond a unitary conceptualization of safety supervision and communication: instead, it examines distinct supervisory styles (safety-empowering vs. safety-monitoring) and multiple forms of safety communication (promotive, preventive, proscriptive voice). Methods: A survey research was conducted in a large chemical manufacturing facility in Eastern Europe, specialized in fibre production and employing approximately one thousand workers. Results: Statistical analyses supported an eight-factor measurement model and showed that safety-empowering supervision influences promotive and preventive voice through safety motivation, whereas safety-monitoring supervision predicts proscriptive voice via safety knowledge. Conclusions: The findings offer actionable implications for the management of safe operations in the chemical industry: aligning supervisory styles with specific communicative goals can strengthen workers’ participation in safety, enhancing organizational risk prevention and the improvement of safety management practices.
