Framework for Measuring Corporate Safety Culture and Its Impact on Construction Safety Performance
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 135, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a structural equation model (SEM) that describes and quantifies the relationships between corporate culture and safety performance. The SEM is estimated using 196 individual questionnaire responses from three companies with better than average safety records. A multiattribute analysis of corporate safety culture characteristics resulted in a hierarchical description of corporate safety culture comprised of three major categories—people, process, and value. These three major categories were decomposed into 54 measurable questions and used to develop a questionnaire to quantify corporate safety culture. The SEM identified five latent variables that describe corporate safety culture: (1) a company’s safety commitment; (2) the safety incentives that are offered to field personal for safe performance; (3) the subcontractor involvement in the company culture; (4) the field safety accountability and dedication; and (5) the disincentives for unsafe behaviors. These characteristics of company safety culture serve as indicators for a company’s safety performance. Based on the findings from this limited sample of three companies, this paper proposes a list of practices that companies may consider to improve corporate safety culture and safety performance. A more comprehensive study based on a larger sample is recommended to corroborate the findings of this study.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank the American Society of Safety Engineers for its financial support and cooperation throughout the course of this research. The writers would also like to recognize the efforts of the ASSE Foundation’s Research Committee, for its assistance in developing the data collection questionnaire. The writers would also like to thank all of the survey respondents for their time and effort in completing the questionnaire. Without all of these contributions, this research could not have been possible.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 135 • Issue 6 • June 2009
Pages: 488 - 496
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 16, 2002
Accepted: Dec 9, 2008
Published online: May 15, 2009
Published in print: Jun 2009
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