A Review of Risk Perception in Construction Industry

Abstract

The construction industry has been notorious for its high rates of accidents and injuries associated with social, financial, and legal implications. Previous studies mention that risk perception is related to workers´ safety behavior and, therefore, accidents. This review aims to identify in which context risk perception has been studied in recent years and the variables associated with it. Google Scholar and Science Direct databases were searched for articles using the following keywords: “risk perception,” “construction industry”, and “safety behavior.” The inclusion criteria were that the articles answered the questions formulated in the spider methodology. Sixty-three articles were included in the literature review. The results indicated that risk perception is a subjective judgment that results from the combination of the likelihood perception of a specific risk being present and the severity perception of the risk if it occurs. The risk perception has been studied in different areas such as tourism, driving behavior, electricians, firefighters, and confrontation to viruses or pandemic, and the construction industry. Personal traits, sociodemographic variables, cultural factors, and occupational characteristics (training in security, experience, and seniority at work) have been addressed to study risk perception in construction workers. Safety must be a priority for construction organizations. This study highlights the importance of studying risk perception in the workplace since construction workers are exposed to risky activities at work. Also, it is important to understand the risk perception process and its contributory factors for construction workers. It is possible to have specific information that helps design actions for effective risk management and prevent the number of accidents and fatalities from increasing.