Quantifying the Mediating Effect of Frontline Supervisors on Workers’ Safety Actions: A Construction Safety Culture Focus
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 29, Issue 3
Abstract
Ensuring the safety of construction sites is a pivotal aspect in the field of construction engineering and management. Frontline supervisors, acting as a central link between upper management, safety personnel, and field workers, play a vital role in this regard. Despite their significance, their role remains largely unexplored and underinvestigated. This study utilized a blend of survey methodology and literature review to assess the mediating impact of frontline supervisors on the behavior of field workers and to identify factors contributing to the enhancement of their overall contribution to site safety. According to the study findings, frontline supervisors play a significant role in mediating workers’ behavior. Consequently, the accountability of frontline supervisors emerges as vital for elevating construction site safety. Moreover, seven factors contributing to the safety performance and overall contribution of frontline supervisors were identified in the reviewed literature. The factors are safety management system, management commitment, safety training, experience, safety knowledge, safety attitude, and leadership skills. As a result, this research enriches the existing body of knowledge and provides practical insights for the industry, enhancing our understanding of the role of frontline supervisors and the necessary resources required to empower them. Industry professionals and practitioners can utilize this study’s findings to make decisions that positively impact safety conditions on their construction sites.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Al-Bayati, A. J. 2021a. “Firm size influence on construction safety culture and construction safety climate.” Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr. 26 (4): 04021028. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)SC.1943-5576.0000610.
Al-Bayati, A. J. 2021b. “Impact of construction safety culture and construction safety climate on safety behavior and safety motivation.” Safety 7 (2): 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/safety7020041.
Al-Bayati, A. J. 2022. “Construction safety culture & climate: The relative importance of contributing factors.” Prof. Saf. J. 67 (2): 24–28.
Al-Bayati, A. J., A. Albert, and G. Ford. 2019. “Construction safety culture and climate: Satisfying necessity for an industry framework.” Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr. 24 (4): 04019028. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)SC.1943-5576.0000452.
Al-Bayati, A. J., A. Alghamdi, and O. Abydayyeh. 2023a. “Improving the safety culture and climate of smaller construction firms: A necessary addition to the OSH intervention model.” J. Civ. Eng. Constr. 12 (4): 187–196. https://doi.org/10.32732/jcec.2023.12.4.187.
Al-Bayati, A. J., A. T. Rener, M. P. Listello, and M. Mohamed. 2023b. “PPE non-compliance among construction workers: An assessment of contributing factors utilizing fuzzy theory.” J. Saf. Res. 85 (Jun): 242–253, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2023.02.008.
Chang, J., S. Han, S. M. AbouRizk, and J. Kanerva. 2019. “Stratified statistical analysis for effectiveness evaluation of frontline worker safety intervention: Case study of construction steel fabrication.” Saf. Sci. 115 (Jun): 89–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.01.030.
Chen, Q., and R. Jin. 2015. “A comparison of subgroup construction workers’ perceptions of a safety program.” Saf. Sci. 74 (Apr): 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2014.11.021.
Efremov, L. 2023. “Emotions and attitudes towards safety—Relationship between affective commitment and safety attitudes among construction employees in north Macedonia.” In Vol. 449 of Occupational and environmental safety and health IV. Studies in systems, decision and control. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12547-8-33.
Erkal, E. D. O., M. R. Hallowell, and S. Bhandari. 2021. “Practical assessment of potential predictors of serious injuries and fatalities in construction.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 147 (10): 04021129. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002146.
Fang, D., Y. Wang, H. W. Lim, L. Ma, B. Gu, and Y. Huang. 2022. “Construction of a Bayesian network based on leadership-culture-behavior model to improve owner safety management behavior.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 149 (3): 04022177. https://doi.org/10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-12465.
Fang, D., C. Wu, and H. Wu. 2015. “Impact of the supervisor on worker safety behavior on worker safety behavior in construction projects.” J. Manage. Eng. 31 (6): 04015001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000355.
Fung, I. W. H., C. M. Tam, K. C. F. Tung, and A. S. K. Man. 2005. “Safety cultural divergences among management, supervisory and worker groups in Hong Kong construction industry.” Int. J. Project Manage. 23 (7): 504–512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.03.009.
Hinze, J., S. Thurman, and A. Wehle. 2013. “Leading indicators of construction safety performance.” Saf. Sci. 51 (1): 23–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2012.05.016.
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.
Kines, P., L. P. Andersen, S. Spangenberg, K. L. Mikkelsen, J. Dyreborg, and D. Zohar. 2010. “Improving construction site safety through leader-based verbal safety communication.” J. Saf. Res. 41 (5): 399–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2010.06.005.
Lingard, H., T. Cooke, and N. Blismas. 2012. “Do perceptions of supervisors’ safety responses mediate the relationship between perceptions of the organizational safety climate and incident rates in the construction supply chain?” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 138 (2): 234–241. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000372.
Liu, Y., X. Wang, and D. Wang. 2021. “How leaders and coworkers affect construction workers’ safety behavior: An integrative perspective.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 147 (12): 04021176. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002215.
Marín, L. S., and C. Roelofs. 2017. “Promoting construction supervisors’ safety-efficacy to improve safety climate: Training intervention trial.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 143 (8): 04017037. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001330.
McCaa, B. M. 2021. “Leadership style needed within small construction companies to optimize a safety climate.” Doctoral dissertation, Philosophy Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Adler Univ.
Michael, J. H., Z. G. Guo, J. K. Wiedenbeck, and C. D. Ray. 2006. “Production supervisor impacts on subordinates’ safety outcomes: An investigation of leader-member exchange and safety communication.” J. Saf. Res. 37 (5): 469–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2006.06.004.
Oswald, D., and H. Lingard. 2019. “Development of a frontline H&S leadership maturity model in the construction industry.” Saf. Sci. 118 (2019): 674–686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.06.005.
Ouyang, Y., and X. Luo. 2022. “Differences between inexperienced and experienced safety supervisors in identifying construction hazards: Seeking insights for training the inexperienced.” Adv. Eng. Inf. 52 (Apr): 101602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2022.101602.
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 (Feb): 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.11.012.
Schwatka, N. V., L. M. Goldenhar, and S. K. Johnson. 2020. “Change in frontline supervisors’ safety leadership practices after participating in a leadership training program: Does company size matter?” J. Saf. Res. 74 (Sep): 199–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2020.06.012.
Sørensen, O. H., P. Hasle, and E. Bach. 2007. “Working in small enterprises–is there a special risk?” Saf. Sci. 45 (10): 1044–1059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2006.09.005.
Wu, C., F. Wang, P. X. W. Zou, and D. Fang. 2016. “How safety leadership works among owners, contractors and subcontractors in construction projects.” Int. J. Project Manage. 34 (5): 789–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.02.013.
Zhang, R. P., H. Lingard, and D. Oswald. 2020. “Impact of supervisory safety communication on safety climate and behavior in construction workgroups.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 146 (8): 04020089. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001881.
Zohar, D. 2002. “The effects of leadership dimensions, safety climate, and assigned priorities on minor injuries in work groups.” J. Organ. Behav. 23 (1): 75–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.130.
Zou, P. X. 2011. “Fostering a strong construction safety culture.” Leadersh. Manage. Eng. 11 (1): 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)LM.1943-5630.0000093.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 26, 2023
Accepted: Jan 26, 2024
Published online: Apr 12, 2024
Published in print: Aug 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Sep 12, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
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.