Chapter
Mar 29, 2018
The Association between Risk Perception and the Risk-Taking Behaviors of Construction Workers
Authors: Bac Dao, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE [email protected], Sogand Hasanzadeh, M.ASCE [email protected], and Behzad Esmaeili, Ph.D., M.ASCE [email protected]Author Affiliations
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2018
Abstract
The majority of human-factor models in construction safety assume that risk-taking behaviors, failure to perceive hazards, or misinterpreting the associated risks of hazards are the main contributing factors in accident occurrences. However, the findings for the link between risk-taking behaviors and risk perception are inconsistent. To address this knowledge gap, the current study focuses on measuring the association between risk perception and the risk-taking behaviors of construction workers. To achieve this objective, 27 undergraduate students from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with at least 1 year of experience in the construction industry were recruited to participate in an experiment. To measure risk perception, the subjects were asked to assess the risk—in terms of likelihood and severity—associated with various scenario statements related to fall hazards. Subsequently, subjects performed the balloon analogue risk task (BART), a computerized decision-making simulation, to test the subjects’ risk-taking behaviors. The results of a correlational analysis showed that there is a significant negative association between an individual’s risk perception of fall hazards and his/her risk-taking behaviors. Additionally, differences in the risk-taking behaviors of subjects evaluated against their risk-perception scores were examined using a permutation simulation analysis. The results showed that there is a moderately significant difference in the risk-taking behaviors of subjects with low and high fall-risk perception. The research findings provide empirical evidence that people with lower risk perception tend to engage in more risk-taking behaviors. Furthermore, this study is one of the first attempts at using BART in the assessment of risk taking in construction safety and paves the way for a better understanding the human factors that contribute to construction accidents.
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© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published online: Mar 29, 2018
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Assistant Professor, VinAcademy Education and Training, Hanoi, Vietnam, 10000. E-mail: [email protected]
Graduate Research Assistant, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, Univ. of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588. E-mail: [email protected]
Assistant Professor, Sid and Reva Dewberry Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, George Mason Univ., Fairfax, VA 22030. E-mail: [email protected]
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ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.