Influence of Risk Perception on Task and Contextual Performance: A Case of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Nurses

Assessing the risk perception of workers can be very informative in predicting their behavioral outcomes, including task and contextual performance. Yet, research to assess the effect of risk perception on task performance and contextual performance remains scarce. Thus, this study explored the effect of risk perception of work-related musculoskeletal disorders on task and contextual performance in nurses. This study further examined safety behavior as a mediator of these relationships. Using structural equation modeling, the researchers examined these relationships by employing a cross-sectional survey with a quantitative approach. The data was collected via questionnaires from 382 nurses who work in three major hospitals in Accra Metropolis, Ghana. The results showed that nurses’ risk perception positively influenced their task and contextual performance, and that safety behavior partially mediated the effects of risk perception on task and contextual performance. This study offers a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for the concept of risk perception and its association with safety behavior, task, and contextual performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the relationships that exist among these variables. Thus, future studies are needed to verify the causality of the relationships.