Predicting occupational injury: The role of affectivity

This study examines the impact of positive (PA) and negative affectivity (NA), controlling for personal and quality of work life factors, on occupational injury. A predictive design is employed, in which injury data were collected from organizational records one year following the administration of the survey. The LISREL results based on a sample of 362 blue-collar manufacturing employees indicate that the dispositional variables have differential effects. PA was found to have a significant negative impact, while NA had a significant positive impact on occupational injury. The personal variable of sex, and the quality of work life variables of routinization, supervisory and co-worker support were also found to predict- occupational injury. The theoretical, practical and ethical implications of PA and NA for accident research are discussed.