Unpacking Safety Culture and Safety Compliance: Testing the Six-Factor Framework of Leadership and Safety Practices in South African Manufacturing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Establishing a strong safety culture remains a key challenge for safety professionals in the manufacturing sector. Although safety culture has been examined across South African industries such as food production, aviation and construction, limited research focuses on manufacturing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study addresses this gap by examining how employees perceive organizational factors influencing safety culture through a six-factor leadership and safety practices framework. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from a convenience sample of 487 employees aged 18–65 years working in South African manufacturing SMEs, recruited through a national market research panel. A structured, self-administered questionnaire measured employee perceptions of organizational factors shaping safety culture and related compliance behaviors. The structural model demonstrated satisfactory reliability and strong model fit, with six core factors identified, namely management commitment, safety incentives, safety training, safety communication with feedback, safety culture, and safety compliance. Findings indicate that stronger safety culture development requires SME leadership engagement, resource allocation and open communication, supported by frequent, context-specific training and intrinsic and extrinsic incentives, while clear, enforceable compliance measures help reduce workplace hazards and maintain regulatory alignment.