Operator Control Room Risk-taking Questionnaire (ORTQ): A Specific Risk-taking Assessment Tool Validated in Iranian Workers

Abstract

Background: Risk-taking has an influential role in accident occurrence or prevention. Hence, having a valid tool to evaluate workers for risk-taking is necessary. Risk-taking has been intensely studied in the field of psychology and neuroscience, leading to the development of several questionnaires and software. Objectives: In the present study, a new questionnaire was developed and validated based on the conceptual model to assess risk-taking behavior in people working in operator control rooms in industrial settings. Methods: Questions were selected from well-known psychological scales based on a conceptual model, followed by approving its face validity and conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Afterward, some models were computed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM). The questionnaire was completed by 208 males who worked in the control room of some industries in Markazi province, Iran, in 2021. Test-retest reliability was done by 42 participants at a three-month interval. Results: One factor and 12 items were suggested by EFA. The model was accepted based on the results of Operator Control Room Risk-taking Questionnaire (ORTQ) goodness of fit CFA (χ2/df = 1.89, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.90, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.09, and P < 0.001). The correlation coefficient (P < 0.001) between risk-taking and impulsivity was 0.65. However, it was 0.69 between venturesomeness and risk-taking and 0.58 between impulsivity and venturesomeness. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 for ORTQ test-retest reliability. Operator Control Room Risk-taking Questionnaire was confirmed to have a better leave-one-out cross-validation information criterion (LOOIC) based on BSEM rather than Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis (BCFA). Conclusions: Operator Control Room Risk-taking Questionnaire is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used as a screening tool for risk-taking traits in workers before enrolment.