UNDERSTANDING BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE SAFETY MANAGEMENT AND THEIR IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE SAFETY BEHAVIOR IN OMAN'S HIGH-RISK INDUSTRIES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE EVIDENCE

Ismail Al-Zadjali; Saida Al-Zadjali

doi:10.5281/zenodo.23037485

Abstract

The high-risk industries of Oman, such as oil and gas, construction, petrochemical, and manufacturing are at the
core of the Omani economy's diversification strategy encapsulated in Oman Vision 2040, but are also exposing a
large and mostly expatriate workforce to severe occupational risks. While Oman also boasts a robust legal
framework for occupational safety and health (OSH), the consistent pattern of incidents documented in official
statistics, corporate reports, and scholarly articles implies that formal OSH management systems often do not
translate to safe employee behavior. This study investigated the barriers to effective safety management in Oman's
high-risk industries and followed their impact on employee safety behavior. We employed a qualitative secondary
research study. We conducted a document review and reflexive thematic analysis of 42 publicly accessible
materials, such as Omani legal instruments, official statistical publications, corporate sustainability reports, and
peer-reviewed studies of the Omani, Gulf, and other relevant high-risk industry settings. We produced 214 initial
codes, 17 focused categories, and five themes: (1) diluted leadership commitment by pressure for production; (2)
communication and language issues with multicultural workforces; (3) safety training, skill, and knowledge
deficits; (4) constrained worker voice, involvement, and near-miss reporting; and finally (5) a regulatory-toworkplace gap between compliance and implementation. We demonstrate that these barriers act by thinning out a
safety climate, safety knowledge, safety motivation, and trust, which ultimately suppress safety compliance and
safety participation. The paper contributes a context-based barrier mechanism behavior model for Oman and
practical implications for organizational leaders, safety professionals, and regulators at large to bridge formal
safety with lived safe behavior.

Keywords

Safety management; safety climate; safety behavior; employee safety participation; occupational health and

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