The Integration of NOSACQ-50 with Importance-Performance Analysis Technique to Evaluate and Analyze Safety Climate Dimensions in the Construction Sector in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, one of the fastest-growing sectors is the construction industry. With the increasing numbers of accidents, it is worth reviewing the preventive solutions to the threats that have been identified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to apply the NOSACQ-50 survey to measure the safety climate (SC), and to dissect the strengths and weaknesses of each dimension in the survey using the importance-performance analysis (IPA) method. Based on the results, several strategies for improving the SC were recommended. A total of 296 construction workers were involved. According to the proposed method, the major strengths were management and worker commitment to safety, prioritizing safety during work, workers’ trust safety systems, and management competence in safety. The weaknesses were unstrict judgment in safety issues, the absence of workers’ suggestions in establishing safety rules, and near-miss incidents that went unreported. To mitigate these gaps, management should focus on strict judgement in safety-related issues, reporting all incident types, periodic meetings or reports with the workers, improved safety training, and checkup rounds. The outcomes of this study will assist organizations by providing a new validated SC assessment methodology that will help in determining aspects of strength and weakness that affect their SC, which will improve safety behavior and reduce accidents.