Relationship of safety attitudes, training, and communication on safety compliance in Malaysia's automotive manufacturing sector

Occupational accidents in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector remain a critical concern despite structured safety protocols. This study aims to examine the influence of safety attitude, safety training, and safety communication on safety compliance among employees in the automotive manufacturing sector. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study employed a quantitative cross-sectional design. Data were collected through structured questionnaires distributed to 215 operation employees in Kedah using simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 23. The findings revealed a statistically significant and positive relationship between all three independent variables and safety compliance. Safety attitude emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.541, p < 0.01), followed by safety training (β = 0.172, p < 0.05) and safety communication (β = 0.144, p < 0.05). These results validate TPB's constructs; attitude, perceived control, and subjective norms as key determinants of safety behaviour in high-risk environments. The study contributes theoretical insights by contextualising TPB in Malaysian industrial settings and provides practical implications for enhancing safety interventions. Specifically, organizations are urged to prioritise positive attitude formation, deliver hands-on and updated safety training, and foster open safety communication channels to improve compliance. Regulatory bodies may also consider incorporating behavioural metrics into safety audit frameworks. Overall, the study enhances the understanding of behavioural predictors in workplace safety and supports evidence-based policymaking for accident reduction in Malaysia’s high-risk industries.