Exploring the Multilevel Perception of Safety Climate on Taiwanese Construction Sites

Huang Huang,Chen Chen,Sun Sun,Merrett Merrett,Li Li,Lu Lu

doi:10.3390/su11174596

Abstract

This study investigates multilevel differences in safety climate (SC) perception dimensions between management and laborers on Taiwanese construction sites. With Taiwan’s high rate of construction site safety incidents, implementing successful safety strategies requires understanding differences in SC perceptions between management and laborers. This study used a structured SC questionnaire with responses from 74 managers and 261 laborers. The analysis of collected data includes (1) descriptive statistics comparing the selected dimensions; (2) Pearson correlation analysis examining relationships between SC perception dimensions; (3) t-test and one-way ANOVA to assess relationships between the respondent’s background and SC perception dimensions; and (4) Post-Tukey comparison analysis to compare the SC perception differences between management and laborers. The results indicate that management-level staff show a higher degree of SC perception than laborer-level staff. This level of SC perception varies between individual dimensions. The strongest convergence between the two groups is observed in the dimension of ‘workmate care of each other’, and the greatest divergence is found in ‘risk decision making’. Previous studies regarding SC perception in Taiwan specifically focus on construction workers and neglect the differences in perception between management and laborers. The outcomes of this study contribute to the understanding of multilevel SC perceptions, which can be used in the development of targeted strategies to improve SC on construction sites.

Highlights

Construction is one of the most hazardous industries in terms of personal injury [1]
The purpose of this study is to examine the multilevel Safety Climate (SC) perception differences held by management and laborers on Taiwanese construction sites to inform initiatives aimed at improving safety outcomes in the construction industry
The largest gap exists in the Risk Decision Making (RDM) dimension, suggesting a considerable difference between how management and labor levels view the effective implementation of safety measures in construction sites

Summary

Introduction

Construction is one of the most hazardous industries in terms of personal injury [1] While it only accounts for 7% of global employment, it accounts for 30–40% of overall workplace injuries [2] with corresponding annual economic losses as high as US$120 billion [3]. In Taiwan, construction accounts for 10% of the total employment, but accounts for 45~55% of all fatal occupation accidents [4] Both industry and researchers have devoted considerable effort to reducing worksite safety accident rates by reducing the incidence of unsafe behavior and improving safety performance [5,6]. The Taiwanese construction industry experiences a high rate of serious incidents involving significant injuries and fatalities [10], which have serious social and economic impacts. The purpose of this study is to examine the multilevel SC perception differences held by management and laborers on Taiwanese construction sites to inform initiatives aimed at improving safety outcomes in the construction industry

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion