Identification of factors that influence occupational accidents in the petroleum industry: A qualitative approach

BACKGROUND: Exploring experiences of individuals for barriers they confront relating to safety could help to design safety interventions with an emphasis on the most safety influencing factors. OBJECTIVE: This study strived to present an empirical exploration of individuals' experiences across the petroleum industry at different levels of the organizational structure for factors that influence occupational accidents. METHOD: Based on accidents history, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who engaged in fatal activities, as well as authorities responsible for managing safety. The qualitative content analysis of 46 interview transcripts was conducted using MAXQDA software. RESULTS: A three-layer model comprising organizational, supervisory and operator level influencing factors with 16 categories were found influence factors of occupational safety. The results highlighted the role of organizational factors, including inappropriate contract management, inadequate procedures, and issues relating to competency management and the organizational climate. Moreover, defects relating to the monitoring and supervision system were identified as important causes of accidents. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrated that the qualitative approach could reveal additional latent aspects of safety influencing factors, which require consideration for the appropriate management of occupational safety. This study can guide the planning of preventive strategies for occupational accidents in the petroleum industry.