Abstract

This study examined the effect of meaningful work on safety behavior among field workers, adopting a promotion focus perspective based on regulatory focus theory. In addition, it investigated the mediating role of professional pride and the moderating role of organizational cynicism in this relationship. While previous research on safety behavior has primarily focused on punishment and regulation based prevention approaches, this study explored the potential for enhancing safety behavior through a promotion-focused approach that emphasizes meaning and growth. A survey was conducted with 405 field workers, including production workers, and the mediating, moderating, and moderated mediation effects were tested using the SPSS PROCESS Macro. The results showed that, first, meaningful work had a positive effect on safety behavior. Second, professional pride significantly mediated the relationship between meaningful work and safety behavior. Third, organizational cynicism moderated the relationship between professional pride and safety behavior, with the positive effect of professional pride on safety behavior being strengthened when organizational cynicism was low. Finally, the moderated mediation effect of organizational cynicism was not supported.. This study reconceptualized safety behavior not as a passive act of accident prevention but as a proactive behavior for personal growth and organizational development. It also empirically demonstrated the importance of intrinsic motivation-based approaches to safety management. Based on these findings, practical implications for field safety management and directions for future research were discussed.