Safety Compliance of the Construction Workers in Hong Kong: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour using Sociotechnical Systems Approach

Abstract

<p>Despite there are numerous studies on accident causation, the improvement of construction safety seems at a standstill. Recent studies advocate the concept of “socio-technical system” which recognises the complexity of construction safety. Within the socio-technical system, “human” is one of the keys to accidents, and the construction workers are the victims of accidents. However, there is no well-established theoretical framework for understanding the safety compliance of construction workers. This paper aims to examine the safety compliance of the construction workers in the Hong Kong construction industry. Safety compliance model was developed by operationalising Theory of Planned Behaviour in Hong Kong construction industry. A questionnaire was administrated for measuring the proximal and distal factors affecting safety compliance and self-reported safety compliance level among Hong Kong construction workers. A total of three hundred sixty-five valid responses obtained from two large contractors used for analysis. The results suggest that Hong Kong construction workers’ intention is positively linked to safety compliance. Two proximal factors are perceived behavioural control and attitude. These proximal factors significantly affect the workers’ intention. Whereas, a high-reliability organising contributes two proximal factors and descriptive norms. The findings highlight the importance of interventions for improving the workers’ intention of safety compliance. Construction organisations also need to advocate the need for high-reliability organising. The study further shed light on safety engagement as the next step for safety management in the Hong Kong construction industry. <br></p>