Occupational health and safety management practices and safety outcomes in hotels: Influences of knowledge, motivation, and innovation in supply chain and housekeeping operations

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of Occupational Health and Safety Management Practices (OHSMPs) on safety performance and workplace accidents in the Egyptian hotel sector, specifically in the supply chain and housekeeping operations, where occupational risks are elevated and safety enforcement remains inconsistent. Drawing on an integrated framework that combines the Total Worker Health model and safety systems theory, the research examines how OHSMPs, understood as implemented, practice-based processes, affect employee outcomes through three key mediators: safety knowledge, motivation, and workplace technological innovation. Survey data were collected from 249 full-time employees in the housekeeping and supply chain departments of five-star hotels across Egypt. Structural equation modeling using WarpPLS-SEM 8.0 revealed that OHSMPs significantly enhance employees' safety knowledge, motivation, and adoption of technological innovations. These mediators, in turn, contribute to improved safety performance and a reduction in workplace accidents and injuries. The findings advance occupational health literature in developing-country contexts by presenting a cohesive, empirically tested model that links organizational safety practices to individual-level safety outcomes. Practical implications are discussed for hotel managers aiming to improve workplace safety through targeted enhancements in employee training, engagement, and access to safety-related technologies in the hotel supply chain and housekeeping operations.