Ethical leadership, safety climate, and employee health and safety: lessons from the oil and gas industry in Ghana

Purpose - This study aims to examine the mediation effect of safety climate (SC) on the relationship between ethical leadership and employee health and safety in the oil and gas downstream sector in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach - This study used a quantitative approach (survey) to collect data from 215 pump attendants at the fuel stations in the Accra Metropolis. The authors used PLS structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the research hypotheses in this study. Findings - The results show that leaders’ adherence to ethical practices had a significant and positive effect on both their employees’ health and safety and SC in the workplace. Furthermore, the ability of leaders to use ethical practices to achieve a healthy and safe work environment was also contingent on the presence of a safe work climate. Practical implications - This study highlights the need for leaders to pay specific attention to adhering to ethical rules and regulations and also promoting a safe climate in the workplace to guarantee the health and safety of employees. Originality/value - This study presents a novel contribution to the literature by empirically demonstrating the contingency importance of SC in the quest of leaders leveraging ethical practices to promote the health and safety of employees in the workplace, which has not been discussed by previous studies.