JRI Study 001

Independent research · JRI-2026-001

Impact of Deviant Workplace Behaviors on Safety Climate in Southeastern United States Construction Organizations

An independent Jenkins Research Institute study led by Todd Jerome Jenkins, examining whether deviant workplace behaviors predict perceived safety climate among construction workers and supervisors in the southeastern United States.

Researcher

Todd Jerome Jenkins

Research focus

Deviant workplace behaviors and perceived safety climate

Proposed population

Construction workers and supervisors in the southeastern United States

Proposed approach

Quantitative, non-experimental survey research with regression analysis

Research program

Jenkins Research Institute · Independent research

JRI ethics status

External reviewer selection pending; no application under review or study determination is being claimed

Purpose of the study

The study proposes to examine the extent to which deviant workplace behaviors predict differences in perceived safety climate within southeastern U.S. construction organizations. Its intended contribution is a clearer understanding of the relationship between workplace conduct and workers’ perceptions of how safety is prioritized.

For this study, deviant workplace behaviors refers to voluntary actions that violate organizational norms and threaten the well-being of the organization or its members. Safety climate concerns shared perceptions of safety policies, practices, and priorities.

Research question

The central research question is:

To what extent, if any, do deviant employee behaviors impact or predict safety climate among SE U.S. construction organizations?

The proposed non-experimental design can examine associations and statistical prediction. It does not, by itself, establish that workplace behaviors cause changes in safety climate.

Hypotheses, in plain language

• Null hypothesis: Deviant employee behaviors do not predict safety climate in the organizations studied.
• Alternative hypothesis: Deviant employee behaviors predict safety climate in the organizations studied.

Proposed research approach

The proposed study will collect self-reported survey responses from construction workers and supervisors. Deviant workplace behaviors are the proposed predictor, and perceived safety climate is the proposed outcome.

• Safety climate: The Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50), attributed in the materials to Kines and colleagues (2011).
• Workplace behaviors: The Deviant Behaviors survey, attributed in the materials to Aquino and colleagues (1999).
• Analysis: Regression analysis to examine the relationship between the measured constructs.

The final regression model, sampling plan, instrument administration, and analysis procedures remain to be reconciled and finalized in the JRI protocol. No survey is available for participation at this stage.

Theoretical foundation

The study’s theoretical foundation brings together four perspectives:

• General strain theory: Workplace stressors and employees’ responses to them.
• Organizational justice theory: Perceptions of fairness in decisions, procedures, and interpersonal treatment.
• Organizational climate theory: The broader workplace norms, practices, and expectations surrounding safety.
• Safety climate theory: Shared perceptions of an organization’s safety priorities.

Intended contribution and next stage

The work aims to inform future research and practical decisions about safety leadership, communication, training, and workplace conditions. Any recommendations will depend on the evidence and its limitations; no improvement in safety outcomes is being claimed.

Next steps include completing the literature review, aligning the research questions and analysis plan, confirming feasibility, and establishing the publication and independent ethics-review pathway. Participant activities require study-specific protections and documented authorization.

Independent oversight

JRI is seeking an independent institutional review board or qualified research ethics committee to evaluate this protocol and document the applicable review determination. A provider has not yet been appointed. The selected reviewer’s identity and study-specific determination will be reported when available.

This page describes independent research in development. No completed findings, peer-reviewed publication, or ethical approval is being claimed.