The individual factors related to unsafe behaviour of construction workers

Abstract

The concerning high occurrence of construction accidents is experienced worldwide and the cost implications are far-reaching. South African construction is not exempt from this issue and in terms of South African legislation, both physical and psychological fitness are required to manage worker safety behaviour in construction. The required psychological fitness levels of construction workers and the factors within the workers themselves influence worker safety behaviour and was the focus of this study. A non-empirical, qualitative research design was used to synthesise a framework of the specific individual factors which could influence a worker‟s sound state of mind by means of a systematic literature review and interviews with subject matter experts and supervisors of construction workers. The individual factors were divided into four categories which were conceptualised from the theory, namely knowledge and experience factors, perceptions and mindsets, attitudes and motivations and, finally, personality characteristics. Each factor was investigated and conceptualised in terms of its impact on the safety behaviour of workers. The analysis of data from the interview presented three main themes, namely individual factors (which pertain to the workers themselves), factors related to the supervisor and, finally, external factors present in the environment. All the factors were included in the framework within the different categories, highlighting the factors related to the interviews and the literature review individually.