Development of the Fear of Work-Related Accident Scale: Pilot Study and Content Validity Findings

Abstract

Workplace accidents represent a significant occupational health and safety issue, resulting in not only physical injuries but also lasting psychological consequences. The fear and anxiety surronding potential injury or re-injury can influence employees’ safety behaviors, well-being, and organizational outcomes. However, current research and systematic reviews on occupational safety primarily focus on risk perception, safety climate, or hazard awareness, while overlooking the fear of work-related accidents as a distinct emotional construct. Additionaly, there is no validated instrument specifically designed to measure this phenomenon. This study aimed to develop and preliminarily evaluate the Fear of Work-Related Accident Scale (FWRAS) to fill this measurement gap and provide a reliable tool for future empirical and systematic investigations. Following a literature-informed framework, an item pool was created through a literature review and feedback from employees. Content validity was established through expert evaluation. The pilot study was conducted online with employees from various sectors (n = 47). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients, and corrected item–total correlations were calculated to evaluate item discrimination and scale reliability. The results showed high internal consistency across subdimensions and adequate item discrimination, indicating satisfactory preliminary reliability. The multidimensional structure of the FWRAS captured emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of accident-related fear. The FWRAS offers a promising framework for measuring fear of work-related accidents and could support future large-scale studies, systematic reviews, and evidence-based interventions exploring its connections to safety behavior, burnout, and job satisfaction. Developing a reliable measure is crucial for integrating emotional risk factors into occupational safety research and practice.

Keywords: Fear Of Work Accident, Occupational Health And Safety, Scale Development, Safety Behaviour, Occupational Health Psychology

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007912