INVESTIGATING TECHNICAL INSTRUCTORS PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY CULTURE USING PARTIAL LEAST SQUARE-STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING (PLS-SEM) IN MALAYSIAN EDUCATION SECTOR

Abstract

Keselamatan merupakan isu pekerjaan yang penting untuk ditangani kerana implikasinya kepada organisasi.
Kajian budaya keselamatan semakin meningkat di kebanyakan sektor pekerjaan. Bagaimanapun, kurang
tumpuan kajian budaya keselamatan di sektor pendidikan terutamanya di Malaysia. Kajian ini dijalankan
untuk menguji faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi budaya keselamatan di sektor pendidikan sebagai
penambahan sorotan literatur dalam kajian budaya keselamatan di tempat kerja. Satu tinjauan telah
dijalankan di Kolej Vokasional (KV) seluruh Malaysia, yang merupakan salah satu institusi pendidikan
teknik dan vokasional di Malaysia, melibatkan 380 pengajar dalam kursus teknologi kejuruteraan di KV.
Analisis menggunakan perisian SmartPLS digunakan untuk menguji hipotesis kajian. Model pengukuran
telah mengesahkan kebolehpercayaan dan kesahan lima faktor budaya keselamatan yang dikaji. Analisis
model berstruktur mendapati pengetahuan keselamatan merupakan pemboleh ubah peramal budaya
keselamatan yang paling penting, diikuti oleh peraturan keselamatan, latihan keselamatan dan komunikasi
keselamatan. Walau bagaimanapun, tiada hubungan yang signifi kan didapati antara komitmen pengurusan
dan budaya keselamatan di kalangan pengajar KV. Penguatkuasaan pematuhan Akta Keselamatan dan
Kesihatan Pekerjaan 1994 di semua organisasi dalam sektor pendidikan oleh Kementerian Pendidikan
Malaysia dilihat sebagai satu langkah yang perlu untuk mencapai budaya keselamatan yang positif dalam
sektor pendidikan. Kempen, bengkel dan latihan juga perlu dijalankan oleh kerajaan bagi meningkatkan
kesedaran tenaga pengajar/guru berkaitan budaya kerja yang selamat. Pihak pengurusan dan tenaga
pengajar/guru perlu memainkan peranan dan tanggungjawab masing-masing untuk memastikan objektif
budaya keselamatan dapat dicapai.

Safety is an important employment issue that needs to be tackled because of the implications it brings
to organizations. Studies on safety culture have been increasing recently in many occupational sectors.
However, less focus has been given to safety culture studies in the education sector particularly in Malaysia.
Adding to the safety culture research literature, this study examined to what extent factors that affect the
safety culture at education sector. A survey was conducted in Vocational Colleges (VC) all over Malaysia,
as one of technical and vocational institution in Malaysian Education sector, involve 380 instructors
teaching in engineering technology courses at VC. Partial least square (PLS) analysis was employed
in this study to test the research hypothesis. The measurement model resulted in fi ve factors of safety
culture which validity and reliability were confi rmed. The analysis on the structural model revealed that
safety knowledge is the most signifi cant predictor of safety culture, followed by, safety regulations, safety
training and safety communication. However, no signifi cant eff ect was found for management commitment
towards safety culture among the instructors. Furthermore, in order to achieve a positive safety culture
in education sector, the Ministry of Education needs to enforce a compliance of Occupational Safety and
Health Act 1994 at all organizations in education sector. Beside that, campaigns, workshops and also
trainings need to be carried out by the government in order to increase instructors/teachers awareness
of safe work culture. Both the management and instructors/teachers need to play their own roles and
responsibility in order to ensure the objective of safety culture is achieved.