Framework for Measuring Resilient Safety Culture in Vietnam’s Construction Environment

Abstract

Resilient safety culture is characterized by continuous improvements to safety performance and the capacity to have foresight, recognizing and anticipating the changing shape of safety risks in complex sociotechnical systems. This study aims to conceptualize resilient safety culture in the construction environment by integrating resilience engineering principles into the concept of safety culture. To fulfill this research aim, a correlational research design was used. Data were collected using questionnaire surveys targeting construction project managers involved in the delivery of 78 recently completed building projects in Vietnam. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique with partial least-squares estimation (PLS) was used to analyze the data. The results confirmed 3 dimensions (i.e., psychological resilience, behavioral resilience, and contextual resilience) with 24 measurable scale items to assess safety culture with respect to resilience. The study also revealed that psychological resilience has a weaker impact on accident prevention under higher contextual resilience and behavioral resilience levels. Theoretically, this study provides the theoretical development and empirical evidence to clarify the concept of resilient safety culture in terms of definition, purpose, and value in the context of construction projects. In practical terms, the study suggests that project hazards, unexpected events, and the risk tolerance of construction workers should be addressed to achieve consistently high safety performance. It also offers construction organizations a framework of safety practices to assess their capabilities in managing on-site safety risks.