Safe Working with Forklifts: Investigating the effect of forklift operators’ behaviors, skills and effort-reward imbalance on forklift accidents

Introduction: Emerging needs for logistics increased the use of forklifts last century. The extensive range in capacity and function for forklifts has eased transportation substantially. Literature supported the relationship between self-reported behaviors and skills and the accident involvement of drivers. Although driver operators’ behaviors and skills have been thoroughly researched last three decades, forklift operators’ behaviors and skills have not been researched yet to the best of our knowledge. Additionally, effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment were related to employees’ behaviors and other outcomes in the workplace. In light of this, the present study aimed to develop measurements for the behaviors and skills of forklift operators and to investigate the roles of effort-reward imbalance in accidents through behaviors and skills by overcommitment. Methods: First, the Forklift Operator Behavior Questionnaire (FOBQ) and the Forklift Operator Skill Inventory (FOSI) were derived from the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), the Driver Skill Inventory (DSI), accident reports, and information taken from forklift operators. The empirical data were gathered with three questionnaires filled in by 227 counterbalance forklift operators with the FOBQ, FOSI, and the Effort-Reward Imbalance model. Results: The FOBQ has shown a four-factor structure; transgression, rule-based violations, contextual violations, and end-result violations, and the FOSI has provided a two-factor structure made up of safety skills and perceptual motor skills. Transgression and end-result violations were positively related to forklift accidents; effort-reward imbalance was indirectly associated with accidents through transgression. Implications: With the current study, two measurements for behaviors and skills of forklift operators were introduced to the literature, along with the relations of effort and reward on accident involvement and buffering role of overcommitment on skills and behaviors. Occupational safety and health professionals could seek ways to eliminate sources of errors and violations.