Are Construction Managers from Mars and Workers from Venus? Exploring Differences in Construction Safety Perception of Two Key Field Stakeholders

Mostafa Namian, Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli, Ahmed Jalil Al-Bayati and Sharareh Kermanshachi
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Mostafa Namian: Department of Construction Management, College of Engineering and Technology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli: School of Design and Construction, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
Ahmed Jalil Al-Bayati: Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI 48075, USA
Sharareh Kermanshachi: Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-23

Abstract: Persisting high rates of worksite accidents and injuries in construction projects indicate the urge to investigate the root causes and revisit safety practices in this industry. Consonance in perceptions and safety approaches has been identified as a fundamental factor in boosting projects’ safety. Discrepancies between how different elements of construction safety are perceived and handled by the key stakeholders, namely managers and workers, could be detrimental to worksite safety. This research studied how, if at all, the perception of four key construction safety components, including 33 sets of pairwise questions, is different in the lens of managers from workers. To explore safety perceptions, 133 construction professionals in the United States participated in the study and expressed their perceptions toward their own and counterparts’ (1) safety knowledge, (2) safety culture and commitment, (3) safety performance, and (4) safety support and communication. The results indicated that massive gaps in safety perceptions do exist between the construction managers and workers (26 out of 33 areas), and the magnitude varies for different safety elements. In all four categories, both managers and workers perceived a superior safety position for themselves and inferior for their counterparts. Further investigations revealed that the common ground between managers and workers is their consensus on proper communication and safety training as the key solutions to address such discrepancies. Construction safety professionals and practitioners can benefit from the results of this study to establish and implement strategies to foster communication and provide more effective safety training to bridge the existing gaps in the perception of safety by managers and workers.

Keywords: safety perception; construction workers; construction managers; safety knowledge; safety culture and commitment; safety performance; safety support and communication; safety training; construction field (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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