Safety Locus of Control and Accident Involvement Among Army Aviators

In this study we assessed the relationship between locus of control (LOC) and accident involvement among U.S. Army aviators. Two scales reflecting internality or externality were created based on a priori assignment of items. Items were also subjected to principal components analysis, and 6 empirical scales were identified from that analysis. Correlations were computed between the 2 a priori scales, the 6 empirical scales identified by the principal components analysis, involvement in hazardous events, and recent and total career accident involvement. Several of the LOC measures correlated significantly with recent accident involvement. However, only 1 measure was correlated with career accident involvement. Applications of the results in the development of safety training interventions and the evaluation of training programs are discussed.