Safety Climate in Construction Site Environments

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Safety Climate in Construction Site Environments Sherif Mohamed1 Abstract: This paper discusses empirical research aimed at examining the relationship between the safety climate and safe work behavior in construction site environments. A literature review has identified a number of independent constructs with the potential to affect the safety climate. A research model was developed based on the hypothesis that safe work behaviors are consequences of the existing safety climate, which, in turn, is determined by the identified independent constructs. A questionnaire survey was used in order to facilitate the collection of information from construction sites. The model was tested using structural equation modeling. The paper presents the results of testing the research model. The results corroborate the importance of the role of management commitment, communication, workers’ involvement, attitudes, competence, as well as supportive and supervisory environments, in achieving a positive safety climate. DOI: 10.1061/ ASCE 0733-9364 2002 128:5 375 CE Database keywords: Safety; Construction sites; Models. Introduction The construction industry is notorious for its poor safety record when compared with other industries. The major causes of accidents have been identified, and can be directly attributed to unsafe design and site practices. Accidents arise from different causes that can generally be classified as physical incidents posing hazardous situations, and behavioral incidents caused by unsafe acts Kartam 1997 . The construction process itself is also seen as being poorly planned in terms of both design and construction, with major inadequacies relating to the erection, maintenance, and demolition of buildings and structures Cooke and Williams 1998 . An underlying belief is that the majority of accidents are not caused by careless workers but by failure in control,

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