Protecting the Ego: Anticipated Image Risk as a Psychological Deterrent to Construction Workers’ Safety Citizenship Behavior

Abstract

Accidents and injuries plague the construction industry worldwide. It has been shown that frontline workers’ safety citizenship behavior plays a key role in preventing accidents and improving workplace safety. In this study, we consider anticipated image risk, defined as an individual’s belief that one action might harm how they are seen by others, as a psychological obstacle to safety citizenship behavior. Drawing on social identity theory and psychological defense mechanism, we propose that anticipated image risk can reduce the felt safety responsibility and sense of belonging of workers and thus reduce safety citizenship behavior. This effect is strongest among individuals who are low on proactive personality. Using data from 339 construction workers, we tested our proposed conceptual model in the construction context. As expected, felt safety responsibility and sense of belonging mediated the negative effect of anticipated image risk on safety citizenship behavior. Workers with a proactive personality were less susceptible to the negative effect of anticipated image risk. The findings extend the safety citizenship behavior literature by introducing a psychological barrier, a self-defense mechanism, and a moderator to explain the process. This study also enriches the current theoretical perspectives by applying social identity theory to explore the emergence of construction workers’ safety citizenship behavior. Workplace safety is a critical issue in the construction industry. Scholars and practitioners are aware of the key role of frontline worker initiative, because workers are in the right position to be familiar with daily work details, and their safety citizenship behavior has been proven to have a significant effect on preventing safety accidents. Using data from 339 construction workers, this study highlights the deterrent effect of anticipated image risk on safety citizenship behavior. It is recommended that higher-ups recast outdated stereotypes of initiating proactive safety actions as managers’ affairs and create a climate that encourages workers to demonstrate such behavior. Furthermore, the proactive personality of construction workers can work on preventing the negative effects of anticipated image risk on safety citizenship behavior, which encourages management to select workers with such personalities. Finally, it should be stressed that anticipated image risk will influence safety citizenship behavior through reducing the felt safety responsibility and sense of belonging of workers. This may help management make decisions on safety citizenship behavior interventions by offering sufficient care and support to workers, thereby promoting the emotional connection of workers with the organization and safety responsibility on the site.