Safety-specific transformational leadership and safety outcomes at workplaces: a scoping review study

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 2723 - 14
• Main Authors: Ghasemi, Fakhradin, Mahdinia, Mohsen, Doosti-Irani, Amin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 11.08.2025; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Accident prevention; Analysis; Attitudes; Biostatistics; Citation indexes; Construction industry; Construction workers; Employees; Empowerment; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Fatigue; Health aspects; Humans; Indicators; Industrial safety; Job satisfaction; Lagging indicator; Leadership; Leadership styles; Leading indicator; Longitudinal studies; Management styles; Managers; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Methods; Motivation; Occupational accident; Occupational accidents; Occupational Health; Occupational safety; Patient safety; Prevention; Public Health; Safety; Safety leadership; Safety Management; Safety performance; Safety regulations; Search engines; Social aspects; Statistics; Transformational leadership; Vaccine; Well being; Workplace; Workplace accidents; Workplace safety and health; Workplaces; Iran; Safety leadership; Leading indicator; Occupational accident; Lagging indicator; Safety performance
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-24044-w

Background and aim Safety-specific transformational leadership (SSTL) has garnered much attention in recent years. This scoping review aims to explore; (1) the industries within which the impacts of SSTL are investigated; (2) the impacts of SSTL on the leading and lagging safety indicators; (3) mechanisms through which SSTL can affect safety outcomes; (4) the safety impacts of SSTL compared with other leadership styles; and (5) research gap to be covered by future studies. Materials and methods This review was conducted in accordance with the standard procedure proposed by PRISMA-ScR. Three major databases including Web of Science, PubMed, and SCOPUS were searched. After removing duplications, initial screening, and eligibility assessment steps, 28 articles were included in the study. Results Coined in 2002, SSTL is a distinct construct from general transformational leadership with a greater influence on safety outcomes. Most studies are conducted in Canada and among construction workers. SSTL could affect both leading and lagging safety indicators, particularly safety behavior and occupational accidents. Safety climate and safety motivation mediate the impact of SSTL on safety outcomes. Social exchange theory and leader-member exchange theory explain how SSTL can modify the safety behavior of employees. SSTL is much stronger than passive leadership in affecting safety, and its effects are comparable with safety-specific active transactional leadership. Conclusion SSTL appears to be a significant factor influencing workplace safety outcomes, affecting both leading and lagging safety indicators. However, long-term longitudinal studies are needed to fully understand the impact of SSTL on these safety outcomes. Additionally, safety knowledge could serve as a mediator in the relationship between SSTL and safety results. Future research should compare the effectiveness of SSTL with authentic leadership style in enhancing safety outcomes. It would also be beneficial to assess how well SSTL can mitigate the negative effects of factors such as occupational fatigue, work-family imbalance, and production pressure on workplace safety.