The Brief Norwegian Safety Climate Inventory (Brief NORSCI) – Psychometric properties and relationships with shift work, sleep, and health

Abstract

The aim of this study was to establish the psychometric properties of the 11-item Brief Norwegian Safety Climate Inventory (Brief NORSCI) and to examine direct and indirect associations between shift work schedules, sleep problems, health complaints, and psychological safety climate. The study was based on a questionnaire survey in a randomly drawn cross-sectional sample of 8066 workers from the Norwegian offshore petroleum industry. The results showed that the Brief NORSCI has good psychometric properties. The three first order factors in the inventory could be combined in a composite second order safety climate factor with high construct and convergent validity. Workers on the different shift work schedules differed in levels of sleep problems and safety climate, but not with regard to health complaints. All non-day shift schedules reported significantly higher levels of sleep problems compared to day shift workers. Night shift workers had the most positive perceptions of safety. Shift work schedules had an indirect association with safety climate through sleep problems, but not through health complaints. These results provide tentative evidence for sleep problems as a potential explanatory factor in the shift work – psychological safety climate relationship. While this study has established the psychometric properties of the Brief NORSCI, as well as its relationships with shift work, health, and sleep, more research is needed in order to further determine the validity of the instrument.