Comparative Analysis of Safety Climate in the Chinese, Australian, and Indonesian Construction Industries
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 146, Issue 12
Abstract
Poor safety is a perennial problem for the construction industry worldwide. The concept of safety climate has been strongly linked to safety performance, yet inconsistent methodologies make international comparisons problematic. In addressing this gap in research, a comparative safety climate survey of 515 construction operatives and managers in Australia, Indonesia, and China is presented using a standardized tool. The results highlight interesting similarities and differences between safety climate in each country and question taken–for–granted assumptions that safety climate in countries with relatively mature regulatory structures like Australia are more positive than in less developed countries like Indonesia and China. Results also highlight the intermediating effects of factors such as management commitment and cultural differences in shaping safety climate. Highlighting the potential value of theories of new institutionalism and cultural and ethical relativism, the paper concludes by raising important new practical, theoretical, and methodological questions about the merits and challenges of making international comparisons of safety climate, even when using standardized measurement tools.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data–sharing policy can be found here: –http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943–7862.0001263.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 146 • Issue 12 • December 2020
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 11, 2020
Accepted: Jun 25, 2020
Published online: Sep 17, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Feb 17, 2021
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