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Week 6 Assignment
Richard Franco Limo Pastuso
Everglades University
BCN5616: Alternative Project Delivery Methods
Dr. Felix M. Delmonte
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Week 6 Assignment
The construction industry is recognized as one of the most hazardous sectors, with higher
fatality rates than any other industry. Many countries, including the US, South Korea, and China,
report a significant number of safety incidents in the construction industry annually. The primary
cause of these serious accidents is unsafe behavior by individuals, particularly construction
workers who execute engineering operations. Despite numerous studies on the safety behaviors
of construction workers, the industry continues to be plagued by accidents and injuries,
indicating a need for improved safety performance.
Safety Citizenship Behavior (SCB), which refers to voluntary behavior that construction
workers display to enhance the overall safety performance of their peers and organizations, plays
a crucial role in organizational safety. SCB includes actions such as assisting workers in safety
improvement, actively reporting safety hazards, supervising safety, learning about safety, and
proposing safety improvement suggestions. Studies show that the active involvement of
construction company owners in safety management significantly impacts project safety
performance, suggesting that owners may play a key role in guiding and stimulating the SCB of
construction workers. However, most owners rely on safety norms to restrict workers’ behavior
rather than actively guiding workers’ safety-related behavior. Therefore, there is an urgent need
to shift from passively restricting workers to actively guiding them to foster the development and
encouragement of SCB.
Safety management behavior, which includes a series of work methods and processes to
prevent accidents and control related losses, plays a crucial role in the construction industry.
Studies have shown that safety management behaviors, such as safety requirements and owner
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participation in safety measures, positively impact safety performance during construction work.
Owner safety management encompasses various aspects, including objectives and assessment,
safety organization, inspection and rectification, education and training, safety information,
stakeholder management, accident management, and emergency management.
This study focused on four key aspects of owners’ safety management behaviors: safety
objectives (SO), organization and coordination (OC), safety funding investment (SFI), and safety
supervision (SS). Owners need to set SO and ensure all personnel understand the safety
objectives and tasks associated with a project. They should also frequently follow up to ensure
adherence to these objectives. Implementing OC involves organizing and coordinating project
safety regulations, safety responsibility systems, and emergency reward mechanisms to improve
safety performance. The third aspect, SFI, includes equipment maintenance, safety education and
training for construction workers, and incentives for workers who report risks. Lastly, SS
involves regular investigation and rectification of safety hazards, strict supervision of high-risk
construction activities, and punishment for those responsible for accidents. Owners should
participate in safety meetings, site safety supervision, accident investigations, and other safety-
related work through their project representatives.
Safety objectives have a positive influence on proactive and prosocial safety behavior,
according to the study. Consistent safety objectives form a good organizational safety
atmosphere and positively impact workers’ behavior. However, inconsistent objectives can lead
to unclear roles, negatively impacting safety behavior. Owners should clearly define project
safety objectives and tasks to encourage construction workers to work more enthusiastically,
improve safety performance, and use existing job resources to complete work objectives.
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Organization and coordination also have a positive effect on proactive and prosocial
safety behavior. Good organization and coordinated management can reduce role ambiguity and
conflict, improving management at all levels and reducing the negative impact on the Safety
Citizenship Behavior (SCB) of construction workers. Regular communication about safety issues
by the owners can stimulate workers’ initiative, leading to proactive safety behaviors such as
actively publishing safety proposals and seeking safer working methods.
Safety funding investment significantly influences proactive and prosocial safety
behavior. The impact of safety funding investment is significantly higher on prosocial than
proactive safety behavior. Regular inspection of safety equipment and safety education and
training can increase the safety awareness of construction workers, improve their safety ability,
and influence their prosocial safety behavior. However, the current impact of safety funding
investment on proactive safety behavior is low, possibly due to the lower score on the statement
“Reward construction workers who find hidden dangers in reported accidents.” By developing an
efficient reward mechanism, owners can support the initiative of construction workers,
encouraging them to behave safely, put forward safety-related suggestions, and seek safer
working methods.
Safety in the construction industry is of paramount importance due to the inherent risks
associated with the sector. Ensuring safety involves a series of work methods and
implementation processes aimed at preventing accidents and controlling accident-related losses.
Safety management behaviors, such as setting clear safety objectives and organizing and
coordinating safety regulations, play a crucial role in improving safety performance.
Investment in safety, including equipment maintenance and safety education and training
for construction workers, is also vital. Regular inspection of safety equipment and safety
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education can increase the safety awareness of construction workers, improve their safety ability,
and influence their proactive and prosocial safety behavior.
However, despite these measures, the construction industry continues to experience a
significant number of safety incidents, indicating a need for continuous improvement in safety
performance1. Therefore, there is an urgent need for all stakeholders, especially owners and
managers, to prioritize safety and actively guide workers to promote a culture of safety in the
construction industry.
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References
Guo, H., Gao, X., Lin, Q., & Gao, B. (2023). Assessing the Degradation of Safety Management
Performance in Large Construction Projects: An Investigation and Decision Model Based
on Complex Network Modeling. Sustainability (2071-1050), 15(16), 12283.
[Link]
Kineber, A. F., Antwi-Afari, M. F., Elghaish, F., Zamil, A. M. A., Alhusban, M., & Qaralleh, T.
J. O. (2023). Benefits of Implementing Occupational Health and Safety Management
Systems for the Sustainable Construction Industry: A Systematic Literature
Review. Sustainability (2071-1050), 15(17), 12697.
[Link]
Zhang, L., Liu, Y., & Chu, Z. (2023). The Influence Mechanism of Owners’ Safety Management
Behavior on Construction Workers’ Safety Citizenship Behavior. Behavioral
Sciences, 13(9), 721.
[Link]