Case Studies
Apr 4, 2014

Personality and Occupational Accidents: Bar Benders in Guangdong Province, Shenzhen, China

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140, Issue 7

Abstract

Limited research has been undertaken to explore how Chinese construction workers’ personality affects their safety behavior. Inappropriate behavior on-site can instigate serious accidents, injuries, or fatality as well as incur significant costs and loss of corporate reputation. To address this dearth within the extant literature, this paper uses Eysenck Personality Questionnaire to examine the complex relationship between the personality of Chinese construction workers (especially, bar benders) and occupational accidents. A significant relationship between personality, unsafe behaviors, and the extent of injury was identified. Using the results generated, a series of practical recommendations are proffered to reinforce behavioral safety training (and reduce accidents on-site), including suggestions for conducting training programs that can be tailored to construction workers with different personality traits.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. Yu Clark Wang, postgraduate student, for his early data collection and analysis related to the personality and accidents of construction workers for this manuscript.

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Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140Issue 7July 2014

History

Received: Jun 1, 2013
Accepted: Feb 19, 2014
Published online: Apr 4, 2014
Published in print: Jul 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Sep 4, 2014

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Authors

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C. P. Sing, M.ASCE [email protected]
Senior Lecturer, School of Built Environment, Curtin Univ., GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]
P. E. D. Love [email protected]
Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin Univ., GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
I. W. H. Fung [email protected]
Lecturer, Dept. of Civil and Architectural Engineering, City Univ. of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. E-mail: [email protected]
D. J. Edwards [email protected]
Professor, Head of Research, Business School, Birmingham City Univ., Birmingham B42 2SU, U.K. E-mail: [email protected]

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