Construction Safety Culture and Climate: Satisfying Necessity for an Industry Framework
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 24, Issue 4
Abstract
Much of the construction literature that examines safety culture and safety climate ignores the unique characteristics of construction workplaces. Therefore, existing safety culture and climate models do not capture the true nature of construction practices where the upper management, such as project managers and safety coordinators, often manage several construction projects. Accordingly, a framework that addresses the contribution of the management personnel as well as the site-level personnel has been presented as part of the current research. The proposed framework captures safety culture and safety climate using the following two distinct factors: (1) the management safety (MS) factor and (2) the site safety (SS) factor. A survey was administered to collect the perceptions of construction practitioners and site personnel regarding the suggested variables of the MS and SS factors. In addition, the experience modification rate (EMR) was collected to assess the relation between the suggested model and the overall safety performance. The results obtained provide support for the proposed model by suggesting that the MS factor significantly influences the SS factor and that the two factors are negatively associated with the EMRs of the participating organizations. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the MS factor represents the construction safety culture and the SS represents the construction safety climate.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Kong Chen (CK), Faculty Research Support Specialist, from Coulter Faculty Commons at Western Carolina University, for his assistance with data analysis.
References
Abowitz, D. A., and T. M. Toole. 2010. “Mixed method research: Fundamental issues of design, validity, and reliability in construction research.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 136 (1): 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000026.
Abudayyeh, O., T. K. Fredericks, S. E. Butt, and A. Shaar. 2006. “An investigation of management’s commitment to construction safety.” Int. J. Project Manage. 24 (2): 167–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.07.005.
Al-Bayati, A., O. Abudayyeh, T. Fredericks, and S. Butt. 2017. “Managing cultural diversity at US construction sites: Hispanic workers’ perspectives.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 143 (9): 04017064. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001359.
Al-Bayati, A. J., O. Abudayyeh, and A. Albert. 2018. “Managing active cultural differences in US construction workplaces: Perspectives from non-Hispanic workers.” J. Saf. Res. 66: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2018.05.004.
Al-Bayati, A. J., and D. D. York. 2018. “Fatal injuries among hispanic workers in the US construction industry: Findings from FACE investigation reports.” J. Saf. Res. 67: 117–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2018.09.007.
Alruqi, W. M., M. R. Hallowell, and U. Techera. 2018. “Safety climate dimensions and their relationship to construction safety performance: A meta-analytic review.” Saf. Sci. 109: 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2018.05.019.
Al-Shabbani, Z., R. Sturgill, and G. B. Dadi. 2018. “Developing a pre-task safety briefing tool for Kentucky maintenance personnel.” Transp. Res. Board 2672 (12): 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118792327.
Antonio, R. S., O. M. Isabel, P. S. J. Gabriel, and U. C. Angel. 2013. “A proposal for improving safety in construction projects by strengthening coordinators’ competencies in health and safety issues.” Saf. Sci. 54: 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2012.12.004.
Antonsen, S. 2009. “Safety culture assessment: A mission impossible?” J. Contingencies Crisis Manage. 17: 242–254. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.2009.00585.x.
Baram, M., and M. Schoebel. 2007. “Safety culture and behavioral change at the workplace.” Saf. Sci. 45 (6): 631–636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2007.04.001.
Biggs, S. E., and T. D. Banks. 2012. A comparison of safety climate and safety outcomes between construction and resource functions in a Large Case Study Organisation. Queensland, Australia: Center for Accident and Road Safety.
BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics). 2017. “Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.” Accessed January 20, 2018. https://www.bls.gov/iif/.
Brown, R., and H. Holmes. 1986. “The use of a factor-analytic procedure for assessing the validity of an employee safety climate model.” Accid. Anal. Prev. 18 (6): 455–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-4575(86)90019-9.
Casey, T., M. A. Griffin, H. Flatau Harrison, and A. Neal. 2017. “Safety climate and culture: Integrating psychological and systems perspectives.” J. Occup. Health Psychol. 22 (3): 341. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000072.
Chang, S. H., D. F. Chen, and T. C. Wu. 2012. “Developing a competency model for safety professionals: Correlations between competency and safety functions.” J. Saf. Res. 43 (5–6): 339–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2012.10.009.
Choudhry, R. M., D. Fang, and S. M. Ahmed. 2008. “Safety management in construction: Best practices in Hong Kong.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract. 134 (1): 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2008)134:1(20).
Christian, M. S., J. C. Bradley, J. C. Wallace, and M. J. Burke. 2009. “Workplace safety: A meta-analysis of the roles of person and situation factors.” J. Appl. Psychol. 94 (5): 1103–1127. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016172.
Cigularov, K. P., P. G. Lancaster, P. Y. Chen, J. Gittleman, and E. Haile. 2013. “Measurement equivalence of a safety climate measure among Hispanic and white non-Hispanic construction workers.” Saf. Sci. 54: 58–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2012.11.006.
Clayton, R. M. 2016. “Experience modification rating understanding the value & limitations.” Prof. Saf. 61 (11): 40–43.
Cooper, D. M. 2000. “Towards a model of safety culture.” Saf. Sci. 36 (2): 111–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00035-7.
Cooper, M., and R. Phillips. 1994. “Validation of a safety climate measure.” In Proc., Occupational Psychology Conf. of the British Psychological Society. Birmingham, UK.
Cooper, M. D., and R. A. Phillips. 2004. “Exploratory analysis of the safety climate and safety behavior relationship.” J. Saf. Res. 35 (5): 497–512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2004.08.004.
Dedobbeleer, N., and F. Béland. 1991. “A safety climate measure for construction sites.” J. Saf. Res. 22 (2): 97–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4375(91)90017-P.
Esmaeilli, B., and M. R. Hallowell. 2012. “Diffusion of safety innovations in the construction industry.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 138 (8): 955–963. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000499.
Findley, M., S. Smith, T. Kress, G. Petty, and E. Kim. 2004. “Safety program elements in construction.” Prof. Saf. 49 (2): 14.
Flin, R., K. Mearns, P. O’Connor, and R. Bryden. 2000. “Measuring safety climate: Identifying the common features.” Saf. Sci. 34 (1–3): 177–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00012-6.
Gillen, M., D. Baltz, M. Gassel, L. Kirsch, and D. Vaccaro. 2002. “Perceived safety climate, job demands, and coworker support among union and nonunion injured construction workers.” J. Saf. Res. 33 (1): 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4375(02)00002-6.
Gillen, M., L. M. Goldenhar, S. Hecker, and S. Schneider. 2014. Safety culture and climate in construction: Bridging the gap between research and practice. Silver Spring, MD: Center for Construction Research and Training.
Guldenmund, F. W. 2000. “The nature of safety culture: A review of theory and research.” Saf. Sci. 34 (1–3): 215–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00014-X.
Hallowell, M. R., and J. A. Gambatese. 2009. “Construction safety risk mitigation.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 135 (12): 1316–1323. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000107.
Hardison, D., M. Behm, M. R. Hallowell, and H. Fonooni. 2014. “Identifying construction supervisor competencies for effective site safety.” Saf. Sci. 65 (65): 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2013.12.013.
Health and Safety Executive. 1997. Health and safety climate survey tool—Information pack (MISC097). Sudbury, UK: HSE Books.
Henseler, J., C. M. Ringle, and M. Sarstedt. 2015. “A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling.” J. Acad. Marketing Sci. 43 (1): 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8.
Hofmann, D. A., M. J. Burke, and D. Zohar. 2017. “100 years of occupational safety research: From basic protections and work analysis to a multilevel view of workplace safety and risk.” J. Appl. Psychol. 102 (3): 375–388. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000114.
Jaselskis, E. J., S. D. Anderson, and J. S. Russell. 1996. “Strategies for achieving excellence in construction safety performance.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 122 (1): 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1996)122:1(61).
Jiang, L., L. M. Lavaysse, and T. M. Probst. 2018. “Safety climate and safety outcomes: A meta-analytic comparison of universal vs. industry-specific safety climate predictive validity.” Work Stress 33 (1): 41–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2018.1457737.
Li, S., M. Fan, and X. Wu. 2018. “Effect of social capital between construction supervisors and workers on workers’ safety behavior.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 144 (4): 04018014. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001467.
Lingard, H. 2013. “Occupational health and safety in the construction industry.” Constr. Manage. Econ. 31 (6): 505–514. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2013.816435.
Lingard, H. C., T. Cooke, and N. Blismas. 2009. “Group-level safety climate in the Australian construction industry: Within-group homogeneity and between-group differences in road construction and maintenance.” Constr. Manage. Econ. 27 (4): 419–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190902822971.
MacCallum, R. C., K. R. Widaman, S. Zhang, and S. Hong. 1999. “Sample size in factor analysis.” Psychol. Methods 4 (1): 84–99. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.4.1.84.
Marin, L. S., H. Lipscomb, M. Cifuentes, and L. Punnett. 2017. “Associations between safety climate and safety management practices in the construction industry.” Am. J. Ind. Med. 60 (6): 557–568. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22723.
Martínez-Córcoles, M., F. Gracia, I. Tomás, and J. M. Peiró. 2011. “Leadership and employees’ perceived safety behaviours in a nuclear power plant: A structural equation model.” Saf. Sci. 49 (8–9): 1118–1129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2011.03.002.
McDonald, M. A., H. J. Lipscomb, J. Bondy, and J. Glazner. 2009. “Safety is everyone’s job: The key to safety on a large university construction site.” J. Saf. Res. 40 (1): 53–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2008.12.005.
Mengolini, A., and L. Debarberis. 2008. “Effectiveness evaluation methodology for safety processes to enhance organizational culture in hazardous installations.” J. Hazard. Mater. 155 (1–2): 243–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2007.11.078.
Mohamed, S. 2002. “Safety climate in construction site environments.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 128 (5): 375–384. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2002)128:5(375).
Mohamed, S. 2003. “Scorecard approach to benchmarking organizational safety culture in construction.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 129 (1): 80–88. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2003)129:1(80).
Molenaar, K., H. Brown, S. Caile, and R. Smith. 2002. “Corporate culture: A study of firms with outstanding construction safety.” Prof. Saf. 47 (7): 18–27.
NCA (National Construction Agenda). 2008. “National occupational research agenda (NORA).” Accessed April 18, 2018. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/comment/agendas/construction/pdfs/ConstOct2008.pdf.
NCR (US Nuclear Regulatory Commission). 2018. “Safety culture.” Accessed April 18, 2018. https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/safety-culture.html.
Neal, A., M. A. Griffin, and P. M. Hart. 2000. “The impact of organizational climate on safety climate and individual behavior.” Saf. Sci. 34 (1–3): 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00008-4.
Nielsen, K. J. 2014. “Improving safety culture through the health and safety organization: A case study.” J. Saf. Res. 48: 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2013.10.003.
Ojanen, K., A. Seppala, and M. Aaltonen. 1988. “Measurement methodology for the effects of accident prevention programs.” Scand. J. Work Environ. Health 14: 95–96.
Okun, A. H., R. J. Guerin, and P. A. Schulte. 2016. “Foundational workplace safety and health competencies for the emerging workforce.” J. Saf. Res. 59: 43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2016.09.004.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). 2000. “OSHA’s strategic partnership program.” Accessed April 19, 2018. https://www.osha.gov/Publications/JSHQ/jshq-v11-4-summer2000.pdf.
Petitta, L., T. M. Probst, C. Barbaranelli, and V. Ghezzi. 2017. “Disentangling the roles of safety climate and safety culture: Multi-level effects on the relationship between supervisor enforcement and safety compliance.” Accid. Anal. Prev. 99: 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.11.012.
Pidgeon, N. 1998. “Safety culture: Key theoretical issues.” Work Stress 12 (3): 202–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678379808256862.
Rajendran, S., and J. A. Gambatese. 2009. “Development and initial validation of sustainable construction safety and health rating system.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 135 (10): 1067–1075. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2009)135:10(1067).
Rojas, E. 2013. “Identifying, recruiting, and retaining quality field supervisors and project managers in the electrical construction industry.” J. Manage. Eng. 29 (4): 424–434. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000172.
Safe Work Australia. 2016. “Work health and safety perceptions: Construction industry.” Accessed December 15, 2018. http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/publications/pages.
Sawacha, E., S. Naoum, and D. Fong. 1999. “Factors affecting safety performance on construction sites.” Int. J. Project Manage. 17 (5): 309–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-7863(98)00042-8.
Schwatka, N. V., S. Hecker, and L. M. Goldenhar. 2016. “Defining and measuring safety climate: A review of the construction industry literature.” Ann. Occup. Hyg. 60 (5): 537–550. https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew020.
Snyder, L. A., A. D. Krauss, P. Y. Chen, S. Finlinson, and Y. H. Huang. 2008. “Occupational safety: Application of the job demand-control-support model.” Accid. Anal. Prev. 40 (5): 1713–1723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2008.06.008.
Strauch, B. 2015. “Can we examine safety culture in accident investigations, or should we?” Saf. Sci. 77: 102–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2015.03.020.
Tear, M. J., T. W. Reader, S. Shorrock, and B. Kirwan. Forthcoming. “Safety culture and power: Interactions between perceptions of safety culture, organizational hierarchy, and national culture.” Saf. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2018.10.014.
Utterback, D. F., A. R. Meyers, and S. J. Wurzelbacher. 2014. Workers’ compensation insurance: A primer for public health. Washington, DC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wehle, A., and R. Issa. 2016. “Leading indicators in the construction industry: From measurement to management.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress, 2883–2893. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Zahoor, H., A. P. C. Chan, W. P. Utama, R. Gao, and S. A. Memon. 2017. “Determinants of safety climate for building projects: SEM-based cross-validation study.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 143 (6): 05017005. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001298.
Zohar, D. 1980. “Safety climate in industrial organizations: Theoretical and applied implications.” J. Appl. Psychol. 65 (1): 96. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.65.1.96.
Zohar, D., and D. A. Hofmann. 2014. “Organizational culture and climate.” In The Oxford handbook of organizational climate and culture, edited by B. Schneider and K. M. Barbera, 643–663. New York: Oxford University Press.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 13, 2019
Accepted: Jul 12, 2019
Published online: Aug 30, 2019
Published in print: Nov 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jan 30, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.