Fostering a Strong Construction Safety Culture

Abstract

The construction industry has a reputation of being one of the most unsafe industries because of its high rates of injuries and fatalities. To improve safety performance, some construction companies have implemented innovative safety management programs. This paper reviews programs implemented by five construction companies in the United States, Australia, and Hong Kong and reviews the objectives, implementation strategies, and lessons learned from each. Seven program elements emerged in all cases: (1) The programs were focused on shaping employees’ beliefs, attitudes, and commitment to achieve safe behavior on construction sites; (2) programs were based on the belief that all incidents and injuries are preventable and unacceptable; (3) there was a strong commitment to safety among top management; (4) the programs extended safety management issues to the entire supply chain and involved all stakeholders; (5) safety risk management systems were in place to identify, assess, and respond to on-site hazards, (6) clear authority and accountability for safety were established and safe behavior rewarded; and (7) a safety knowledge database was established to capture lessons learned. The paper suggests that organizations adopt a holistic strategy that focuses not only on improving the physical working environment, safety risk assessments, and employees’ safety knowledge, but also on shaping employees’ beliefs and attitudes that lead to safe behavior and ultimately to a strong safety culture. In conclusion, a conceptual model for balancing the art and science of managing construction safety is proposed for use by construction enterprises.