Abusive supervision and safety behavior in high-risk industries: The moderating role of trait mindfulness

Abstract

Drawing on social exchange theory, we proposed a dual-stage moderated mediation framework to examine the impact of abusive supervision on employee safety behavior in high-risk industries. We conducted a survey of 652 frontline employees from 32 chemical establishments in southwest China using scales assessing abusive supervision, burnout, employee safety behavior, and trait mindfulness. Our results revealed that abusive supervision had detrimental effects on employee safety behavior, with burnout partially mediating this relationship. Trait mindfulness emerged as a mitigating factor that attenuated the negative influence of abusive supervision and subsequent burnout on employee safety behavior. The findings shed light on the harmful consequences of abusive supervision within the transitional Chinese chemical industry landscape and provide valuable insights for enhancing leadership quality and promoting mindfulness-based employee initiatives.