Abstract
The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between the use of smart technology (mobile phones) and the implicit (tacit) and explicit safety knowledge of employees and their propensity to follow safe practices at work. A survey with seven constructs, including 1) use of mobile technology, 2) tacit safety knowledge, 3) explicit safety knowledge of unsafe behaviors, 4) attitudes toward safety: emotional aspects, 5) safety culture: behavioral and psychological aspects of work, 6) safety culture: aspects of work, and 7) safety culture regulations at work, was performed. A total of 436 workers from three manufacturing companies located in southeastern Poland completed a paper-based survey. The results revealed that a general tendency to use smart phones outside work and at the workplace, in particular, was associated with a greater propensity to follow safety regulations and safe practices at work. The results also showed that using mobile technology positively influenced the explicit safety knowledge of employees, as well as their assessed safety culture, in terms of behavioral aspects, and their attitudes toward safety expressed through the psychological aspects of safety culture.