Occupational Safety Gap Analysis: The Role of Personal Protective Equipment and Surveillance Technology on Worker Performance in Libya

Occupational safety gaps remain a persistent challenge in waste management sectors across developing countries, particularly in contexts where personal protective equipment (PPE) use, surveillance technology, and vocational training are inadequately integrated. This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of PPE, surveillance technology, and vocational training on job performance, with occupational safety and health (OSH) implementation as a mediating variable, among sanitation workers of a public cleaning service company in Al-Bayda City, Libya. A quantitative causal-associative research design was employed, with data collected from 175 workers using the census method. Descriptive statistical analysis was applied to assess variable characteristics through mean values across all indicators. The findings reveal that PPE does not exert a statistically significant direct effect on job performance; however, it significantly improves OSH implementation, which serves as a foundational safety behavior in the workplace. Surveillance technology similarly shows no significant direct impact on job performance but holds potential for indirect influence through enhanced employee accountability and safety compliance. Vocational training emerges as a critical factor, with behavioral change recording the highest indicator score (mean = 3.86), reflecting meaningful improvements in workplace safety conduct following training interventions. The quantity of work output was the highest-scoring job performance indicator (mean = 4.06), while punctuality presented the lowest score. These findings suggest that a holistic safety culture integrating ergonomic PPE, transparent monitoring systems, and job-aligned vocational training is essential for sustaining workforce performance in labor-intensive service industries in developing country contexts.