Factors that influence safety culture in construction

Wamuziri, Sam

doi:10.1680/mpal.12.00023

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Culture is the organizational mental model that specifies values, shapes patterns of interactions and influences behaviors, hence encouraging (or discouraging) employees to share knowledge and experience (Senge, 1990;Schein, 2004;Wamuziri, 2011). De Long and Fahey (2000) provide evidence that organizational culture creates norms regarding what is deemed 'right' and 'wrong' within the organization and influences how people communicate and share knowledge.…”

Section: Organizational Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge transfer for occupational health and safety: Cultivating health and safety learning culture in construction firms

Duryan

Smyth

Roberts

et al. 2020

Accident Analysis & Prevention

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Within the last decades the incidence of workspace injuries and fatalities in the UK construction industry has declined markedly following the developments in occupational health and safety (OHS) management systems. However, safety statistics have reached a plateau and actions for further improvement of OHS management systems are called for. OHS is a form of organizational expertise that has both tacit and explicit dimensions and is situated in the ongoing practices. There is a need for institutionalization and for the transfer of knowledge across and along construction supply chains to reduce OHS risks and facilitate cultural change. The focus of this article is the factors that facilitate OHS knowledge transfer in and between organizations involved in construction projects. An interpretative methodology is used in this research to embrace tacit aspects of knowledge transfer and application. Thematic analysis is supported by a cognitive mapping technique that allows understanding of interrelationships among the concepts expressed by the respondents. This paper demonstrates inconsistency in OHS practices in construction organizations and highlights the importance of cultivating a positive safety culture to encourage transfer of lessons learnt from good practices, incidents, near misses and failures between projects, from projects to programmes and across supply chains. Governmental health and safety regulations, norms and guidelines do not include all possible safety issues specific to different working environments and tied to work contexts. The OHS system should encourage employees to report near misses, incidents and failures in a 'no-blame' context and to take appropriate actions. This research provides foundation for construction project practitioners to adopt more socially oriented approaches towards promoting learning-rich organizational contexts to overcome variation in the OHS and move beyond the current plateau reached in safety statistics.

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Section: Organizational Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge transfer for occupational health and safety: Cultivating health and safety learning culture in construction firms

Duryan

Smyth

Roberts

et al. 2020

Accident Analysis & Prevention

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The interviews were conducted with 10 occupants. Similarly, Wamuziri [68] undertook six interviews with senior safety/project managers in various construction organizations. Table 1 provides details of the participants interviewed.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to Adoption of Sustainable Technologies for Energy-Efficient Building Upgrade—Semi-Structured Interviews

et al. 2018

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Abstract:Globally, only 2% of existing building stock is built yearly; the remaining 98% already exist. Energy consumption and indoor thermal comfort of the existing building stock are not encouraging. This is due to many challenges associated with existing buildings; the challenges range from cracks, leakages, poor insulation, heat losses and high rate of unsustainable technologies. This paper investigates possible barriers facing the adoption and application of sustainable technologies (STs) for sustainable or energy-efficient upgrade of existing buildings. New STs are manufactured on a regular basis to meet improved energy efficiency standards, yet there are minimal actions/attempts to adopt and apply improved technologies in existing buildings for energy efficiency. Indeed, there are limited studies focused on the use of qualitative approaches to identify barriers to adoption and use of STs. Thus, a semi-structured interview approach was adopted and applied using sustainability/energy efficiency professionals, building services engineers, project managers, architects, and facility managers in Australia. The results indicate that barriers to the adoption and application of sustainable technologies are perceived benefits in demolish-and-build, age of building, cost of STs, perceived poor payback time, unreliable energy-savings projections, existing design, hidden and overall cost of renovation, and cost of STs.

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“…The close interpersonal relationships among the workers of microconstruction firms also enable the workers to share 'hidden' knowledge and 'hidden' understanding (Aboagye-Nimo et al, 2012). Wamuziri (2013) stresses that shared beliefs and assumptions aid in strengthening safety cultures. Safety as a value is shared and internalised by everyone in the organisation (Wamuziri 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wamuziri (2013) stresses that shared beliefs and assumptions aid in strengthening safety cultures. Safety as a value is shared and internalised by everyone in the organisation (Wamuziri 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using tacit knowledge in training and accident prevention

Aboagye‐Nimo¹,

Raidén²,

King³

et al. 2015

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Management,

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Tacit knowledge plays an invaluable role in construction and has been labelled as the 'most strategically important resource' in organisations. Microconstruction firms rely heavily on the tacit knowledge acquired by their workers when managing site safety. Unfortunately, the importance of this knowledge is sometimes overlooked due to its inexpressible and informal nature. This paper investigates how microconstruction firms use tacit knowledge to prevent accidents on site, thereby improving overall site safety. An ethnographic approach was used to gather rich in-depth qualitative data on the practices of these 'hard-to-reach' microconstruction firms. Five case studies were conducted in the East Midlands region of the UK. Findings from the case studies suggest that workers of microconstruction firms use tacit knowledge in areas such as training newcomers and also identifying and managing imminent risks and dangers on site. Additionally, tacit knowledge plays an important role in safety communications among the workers of these microfirms; it helps establish shared understanding and a common sense of achieving their goals. This research sheds light on an underexplored area of the construction industry, which is arguably crucial in preventing accidents and ensuring the well-being of site workers.

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Factors that influence safety culture in construction

Cited by 11 publications

References 17 publications

Knowledge transfer for occupational health and safety: Cultivating health and safety learning culture in construction firms

Knowledge transfer for occupational health and safety: Cultivating health and safety learning culture in construction firms

Barriers to Adoption of Sustainable Technologies for Energy-Efficient Building Upgrade—Semi-Structured Interviews

Using tacit knowledge in training and accident prevention

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