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The influence of the psychological contract on the safety of performance of construction workers in China

Hongyang Li (Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing, China) (State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China) (School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Yanlin Chen (School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Junwei Zheng (Faculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China)
Yuan Fang (Department of Management Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China)
Yifan Yang (Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Robina, Australia)
Martin Skitmore (Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Robina, Australia)
Rosemarie Rusch (Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Robina, Australia)
Tingting Jiang (Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing, China)

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

ISSN: 0969-9988

Article publication date: 19 December 2022

200

Abstract

Purpose

In the absence of previous work, this study investigates how the psychological contract (PC) influences the safety performance of construction workers in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature is first consulted to obtain a set of PC and safety performance measures that fits the specific situation of construction workers, which is then moderated by five construction experts. A questionnaire survey of 206 workers from 4 different construction sites is followed by a descriptive statistical analysis of the nature of the PC and level of the safety performance of the respondents. Finally, a regression analysis is used to ascertain the level of influence of the PS, and an analysis is made of the influence of PC on safety performance.

Findings

A set of PC and safety performance measures is identified that fits in the construction workers' specific situation. The PC of the respondents is found to be intact and well-performed, and their safety performance is maintained at a high level. Safety performance is highly influenced by the state of the PC, with the three dimensions of safety performance (safety result, safety compliance and safety participation) positively correlated with the three dimensions of the PC (normative, interpersonal and developmental).

Originality/value

Suggestions are made to improve safety production management and safety performance by providing adequate material and economic conditions, helping the workers establish good interpersonal relationships and realize their personal values.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (B210201014); Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talents Program in Jiangsu Province, 2021 (Project Number: JSSCRC2021507, Fund Number: 2016/B2007224); the “13th Five-Year” Plan of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Guangdong Province (2019 General Project) (Project No.: GD19CGL27); the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building Science, South China University of Technology, China (2020ZB17); National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 71501074, 71701083, 51608132); and Yunnan Applied Basic Research Project (2019FB084).

Citation

Li, H., Chen, Y., Zheng, J., Fang, Y., Yang, Y., Skitmore, M., Rusch, R. and Jiang, T. (2022), "The influence of the psychological contract on the safety of performance of construction workers in China", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-09-2022-0854

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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