An investigation on the effects of psychological contract (PC) towards site safety in the south Indian construction industry

Abstract

The construction sector is India’s second-largest industry, contributing to the country’s economy and providing many job opportunities. However, construction has been described as a hazardous industry with a high rate of injuries, accidents, and fatalities compared to other sectors worldwide. The “psychological contract of safety (PCS)” is one of the safety climate (SC) variables that influence worker safety behavior (WSB) actions on construction sites to improve safety. This research investigates the influence of SC factors on PCS and PCS on WSB in construction site safety. A quantitative research method has been adopted in this study, and the data is collected from the construction professionals working in South India. Statistical analyses were performed for the collected data; consisted of stepwise regression analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis to determine the significance of PCS. The findings disclose that in direct effect, four out of six SC factors contribute to enhancing PCS, namely supervisor safety behavior, co-worker safety behavior, worker involvement, and safety system, and it shows that PCS influences WSB. In indirect effect of SC factor on WSB two factors positively influence namely: supervisor safety behavior, co-worker safety behavior and remaining two negatively influences. The outcome of this study helps the construction professionals to improve safety performance by fulfilling their obligations and improving WSB in construction sites.