How Optimism Bias and Safety Climate Influence the Risk-Taking Behavior of Construction Workers

Siu Shing Man, Ruifeng Yu, Tingru Zhang and Alan Hoi Shou Chan
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Siu Shing Man: Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518060, China
Ruifeng Yu: Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Tingru Zhang: Institute of Human Factors and Ergonomics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Alan Hoi Shou Chan: Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518060, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Risk taking among construction workers is a critical topic in construction safety research. The aim of this study was to empirically investigate how optimism bias and safety climate influence construction worker risk-taking behavior. A survey with a designed questionnaire was conducted to collect data from construction workers. A total of 183 construction workers participated in this study and completed the designed questionnaire. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis by using structural equation modeling. Results show that optimism bias related to work risks positively influences construction worker risk-taking behavior, whereas safety climate and optimism bias related to hazard perception skills negatively affect the risk-taking behavior. These findings can enrich the literature on construction worker risk-taking behavior from the perspective of optimism bias and safety climate. Practical implications are provided for discouraging construction workers from taking risks at work.

Keywords: construction safety; construction workers; optimism bias; risk-taking behavior; safety climate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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