Relationship between Frontline Workers’ Risk Perception and Safety Characteristics of Turnaround Maintenance: An Empirical Study during Turnaround Maintenance in the Chemical Process Industries

Abstract

Turnaround maintenance (TAM) in the chemical process industries (CPI) poses elevated safety risks with increased likelihood of human error. Human error, largely driven by inherent human fallibility and shaped by risk perception, remains a major cause of incidents. Despite extensive research on risk perception in other contexts, its role in TAM within CPI is underexplored. This study investigates the relationship between TAM safety characteristics and frontline workers’ risk perception, identifying critical safety factors for the safe execution of TAM. A mixed-methods design was employed, comprising self-reporting questionnaires, focus group, and literature reviews. 12 TAM safety characteristics were identified and grouped into three categories. Safety climate (38%) and simultaneous operations (21%) emerged as the most influential factors. Also, cognitive risk perception (probability and severity) positively affects affective risk perception, while work environment strongly influences affective risk perception and perceived risk severity. Conversely, safety climate negatively affects affective risk perception. Overall, work environment exerts a greater influence on risk perception than safety climate. These findings advance understanding of risk perception in TAM operation and inform targeted strategies to mitigate human error and incidents, as well as the critical safety factors to be considered to reduce incident risk.

Keywords: Risk Perception, Safety Climate, Work Environment, Turnaround Maintenance, Human Error, Oil And Gas

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007566