Safety Climate Assessment in Marine Tourism Operations: Advancing Inclusive Safety Education and Adaptive Occupational Practices

Abstract

Marine tourism operations are increasingly exposed to occupational safety challenges arising from dynamic environmental conditions, operational pressures, and inconsistent safety practices. Despite the rapid growth of marine tourism activities in Malaysia, empirical research examining occupational safety climate within marine tourism settings remains limited. This study assessed safety climate perceptions among marine tourism workers in selected jetty operations in Terengganu, Malaysia, with emphasis on inclusive and adaptive occupational safety practices. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted involving 152 respondents comprising boat operators, deckhands, and jetty personnel from Taman Tamadun Islam (TTI), Merang, and Kuala Besut. Safety climate was measured using an adapted 25-item Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire. The findings indicated a moderately positive overall safety climate (M = 3.94), with the highest scores recorded for Trust in Safety Systems, Workers’ Safety Commitment, and Peer Communication and Trust. Significant inter-site differences were identified, with TTI demonstrating the strongest safety climate perceptions, while Kuala Besut recorded substantially higher Risk Acceptance scores. Risk Acceptance additionally showed weak and non-significant correlations with other safety climate dimensions, suggesting that risk-tolerant attitudes may operate independently from broader organizational safety perceptions. The study contributes empirical evidence to the limited literature on occupational safety climate within marine tourism operations and highlights the need for site-specific safety interventions, behavioural safety training, and adaptive occupational safety strategies to strengthen workplace safety culture in marine tourism environments.