Exploring the Internal Influence Mechanism of Group Safety Behavior of Construction Workers: Qualitative Method Approach

Abstract

The group safety behavior of construction workers has become a topic of global concern calling for effective organizational management measures. However, existing research predominantly relies on empirical case studies, which solely focus on factors without delving into the underlying theoretical mechanisms that drive group safety behaviors. This limitation hinders a comprehensive understanding of how organizational management measures systematically influence safety behaviors. Against this background, this paper reviews and emphasizes how organizational management measures mitigate the interference of environmental factors, subsequently influencing group internal factors and group safety behavior. The qualitative simulation (QSIM) method was used to investigate the variations and distribution patterns of group safety behavior and group internal factors in 10 different simulation schemes with varying intensities and strategies. The findings reveal that: (1) organizational management measures must outweigh the disruptive effects of environmental factors for positive developments in internal group factors and subsequent improvements in group safety behavior; (2) organizational management measures influence group safety behavior through two pathways. First, they directly impact group safety behavior, resulting in significant improvements but failing to enhance group internal factors. Second, they initially affect internal group factors, which subsequently influence group safety behavior; and (3) in resource-abundant scenarios, safety utility is maximized when multiple organizational management measures are employed, whereas in resource-constrained situations, prioritizing a single measure yields the greatest increase in safety utility. The study links organizational management measures, group internal factors, and environmental factors together, filling the gap in the model of construction workers’ group safety behavior and expanding the application of group theory in the construction industry. Project managers can adopt targeted control measures tailored to the specific environmental and internal group factors to reduce safety behavior risks among construction worker groups.