STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING ANALYSIS USING SMART PLS TO ASSESS THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (OHS) FACTORS ON WORKERS’BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims to examine and evaluate the impact of five Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) factors, i.e., Commitment of management, Communication, Training & Education, Health Care and Policies in predicting construction workers’ behavior in construction projects of Oman.Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was designed, and data was collectedon arandom sampling basis. Two hundred and fifty-twosamples were collected, and the data was analyzed using Smart PLS -Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique.Findings: The study shows thatCommitment of management, Communication, and Training &Educationplays a pivotal role in inspiring the construction workers to improve their perception towards Health and Safety behavior. These factors help in theclear-cut understanding of safety issues and aid in skills development and increase capabilities. All the factors influence the sustainable positive OHS results. Research limitations/Implications: The present study covers only the construction workers. Entire stakeholdersinvolved in construction project (contractors, clients, and consultants) canbe includedfor further studies. Social Implications: The study will help to improve the Health and Safety practices in the construction industry and expected to bring in more awareness among workers, which will inevitably bring in a culture of safe behavior. The ultimate result will be asubstantial reduction or elimination in safety-relatedincidents, which helps all the stakeholders (Contractors, Clients and Consultants).Originality/Value: Only a very few have examined the impact of Occupational Health and Safety factors on the workers’ behavior, and usage of SmartPLS is a novel idea, and it is a first-hand study of its kind.