Safety communication unveiled: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis spanning two decades (2001-2023)

Safety communication (SC) involves the transmission or interchange of information on the safety guidelines and protocols regarding workplace hazards. Despite the extensive research on SC, its research climate/landscape remains underreported. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis (BA) on safety communication research (SCR) based on publications in Scopus from 2001 to 2023. Publication trends revealed 341 publications, comprising research articles (54.3%), conference papers (41.3%), and reviews (4.4%). Citation analysis revealed that SCR publications have been cited 6,768 times with an h -index of 40 over two decades. The top authors, affiliations, and countries on SCR are E.H. Zhou (9 publications), Florida International University (9 publications), and the United States (US) (151 publications). The stakeholders' productivity was notably attributed to active collaborations and funding support from US and China-based agencies. Co-authorships among top authors and countries were pivotal in SCR productivity worldwide. Keyword analysis revealed 3 major keywords (occurrences, total link strength): human (91,576), communication (86,378), and interpersonal communication (52,364), whereas cluster analysis yielded two major research hotspots or subject themes: SC framework and healthcare regulation enforcement. Further analyses reflected that SCR is currently and largely focused on establishing frameworks and regulations for mitigating workplace safety issues in various sectors, from aerospace, transportation, and automobile systems to disaster management, construction, and food safety. Overall, this review revealed that SCR is a broad, impactful, and multidisciplinary research area with a promising future.