Psychology of Accident Prevention in the Construction Industry

Abstract

This paper uses a model of accident prevention as a vehicle to investigate the psychological mechanisms that underpin the poor health and safety performance of the construction industry. It identifies a range of organizational conditions that appear to cause behavior that reduces the effectiveness of accident prevention systems within construction projects. After investigating the causes of these conditions, it concludes with a series of practical recommendations, which will help construction project managers to create an environment more conducive to safety.