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1 – 10 of over 1000Chuanjing Ju, Yan Ning and Yuzhong Shen
Safety professionals' primary job is to execute safety control measures towards frontline personnel, and previous studies focus on the effectiveness of such controls. Rare…
Abstract
Purpose
Safety professionals' primary job is to execute safety control measures towards frontline personnel, and previous studies focus on the effectiveness of such controls. Rare research efforts, however, have been devoted to the effectiveness of management control measures towards safety professionals themselves. This study aimed to fill up this knowledge gap by examining whether safety professionals under differing management control configurations differ in their work attitudes, including affective commitment, job satisfaction, career commitment and intention to quit.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on a holistic view of control, five forms of management control, i.e. outcome control, process control, capability control, professional control and reinforcement, were investigated. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey targeting at construction safety professionals was conducted. The latent profile analysis approach was employed to identify how the five forms of management control are configured, i.e. identifying the distinctive patterns of control profiles. The Bolck–Croon–Hagenaars method was then used to examine whether safety professionals' work attitudes were different across the identified control profiles.
Findings
Seven distinct control profiles were extracted from the sample of 475 construction safety professionals. The overall test of outcome means showed that mean levels of affective commitment, job satisfaction and intentions to quit were significantly different across the seven profiles. The largest that was also the most desirable subgroup was the high control profile (n = 161, 33.9%). The least desirable subgroups included the low control profile (n = 75, 15.8%) and the low capability and professional control profile (n = 12, 2.5%). Pairwise comparison suggested that capability, professional and process controls were more effective than outcome control and reinforcement.
Originality/value
In theory, this study contributes to the burgeoning literature on how to improve the effectiveness of control measures targeted at safety professionals. The results suggested that effective management controls involve a fine combination of formal, informal, process and output controls. In practice, this study uncovers the ways in which managers leverage the efforts of safety professionals in achieving safety goals. Particularly, it informs managers that the control configurations, instead of isolated controls, should be executed to motivate safety professionals.
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Dirk De Clercq, Mohammed Aboramadan and Yasir Mansoor Kundi
This study aims to understand how and when employees' pandemic fears influence their lateness attitude, with a particular focus on how this influence is mediated by emotional…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand how and when employees' pandemic fears influence their lateness attitude, with a particular focus on how this influence is mediated by emotional exhaustion and moderated by a perceived safety climate.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected among employees in the retail sector.
Findings
A core mechanism that explains the escalation of pandemic fears into beliefs that tardiness is acceptable is employees' sense that employees are emotionally overextended by work. The extent to which employees perceive that their organization prioritizes safety issues subdues this detrimental process though.
Practical implications
For human resource management (HRM) practice, the findings point to the notable danger that employees who cannot stop ruminating about an external crisis, and feel emotionally overburdened as a result, might compromise their own organizational standing by devoting less effort to punctuality. To disrupt this dynamic, HR managers can create organizational climates that emphasize safety practices.
Originality/value
This study adds to HRM research by revealing a pertinent source of personal adversity, pandemic fears, and how the fears affects tendencies to embrace tardiness at work. The study explicates how emotional exhaustion functions as a core conduit that connects this resource-draining condition with propensities to show up late, as well as how safety climate perceptions can buffer this translation.
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Hani Atwa, Anas Alfadani, Joud Damanhori, Mohamed Seifalyazal, Mohamed Shehata and Asmaa Abdel Nasser
Patient safety focuses on minimizing risks that might occur to patients during provision of healthcare. The purpose of this study was to explore healthcare practitioners’…
Abstract
Purpose
Patient safety focuses on minimizing risks that might occur to patients during provision of healthcare. The purpose of this study was to explore healthcare practitioners’ attitudes towards patient safety inside different hospital settings in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of healthcare practitioners in main hospitals in Jeddah. Two main hospitals (one governmental and one private) were selected from each region of Jeddah (east, west, north and south), with a total number of eight out of thirty hospitals. Data were collected through the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire III that was distributed online. The questionnaire used a 5-point scale. Descriptive statistics were used. Comparisons were made by independent t-test and ANOVA. The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05.
Findings
The study included 341 healthcare practitioners of different sexes and specialties in eight major governmental and private hospitals in Jeddah. “Working hours as error cause” subscale had the highest mean score (4.03 ± 0.89), while “Professional incompetence as error cause” had the lowest mean score (3.49 ± 0.97). The total questionnaire had a moderate average score (3.74 ± 0.63). Weak correlations between the average score of the questionnaire and sex, occupation and workplace were found (−0.119, −0.018 and −0.088, respectively).
Practical implications
Hospitals need to develop targeted interventions, including continuing professional development programs, to enhance patient safety culture and practices. Moreover, patient safety training is required at the undergraduate education level, which necessitates health professions education institutions to give more attention to patient safety education in their curricula.
Originality/value
The study contributed to the existing literature on patient safety culture in hospital settings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The insights generated by the study can inform targeted interventions to enhance patient safety culture in hospitals and improve patient outcomes.
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Saheed O. Ajayi, Natasha Lister, Jamiu Adetayo Dauda, Adekunle Oyegoke and Hafiz Alaka
Health and safety is an important issue in workplaces, and despite safety procedures becoming more strict, serious accidents are still happening within the UK construction sector…
Abstract
Purpose
Health and safety is an important issue in workplaces, and despite safety procedures becoming more strict, serious accidents are still happening within the UK construction sector. This demonstrates poor performance in the implementation of safety procedures on construction sites. One of the key challenges is the unwillingness of the site workforce, especially the subcontracted operatives, to adhere to safety provisions on construction sites. As such, this study investigates the strategies for enhancing safe behaviour amongst subcontracted operatives in the UK construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used exploratory sequential mixed method research, involving interviews and questionnaires as means of data collection, and thematic analysis, reliability analysis and exploratory factor analysis as methods of data analysis.
Findings
The study suggests that various carrot and stick measures are expected to be put in place as part of the strategies for enhancing safe behaviour amongst subcontracted operatives. These include adequate enforcement of safety practices by the management, operative engagement and motivation, commendation and rewards, site safety targets, leadership style and motivation.
Originality/value
Application of the suggested measures could enhance safety on construction sites, as it provides practical measures and solutions for inculcating safety behaviours amongst the site operatives who are most likely to be the victims of site accidents.
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Richard Gruss, David Goldberg, Nohel Zaman and Alan Abrahams
The widespread adoption of online purchasing has prompted increasing concerns about product safety, and regulators are beginning to hold e-commerce sites accountable for dangerous…
Abstract
Purpose
The widespread adoption of online purchasing has prompted increasing concerns about product safety, and regulators are beginning to hold e-commerce sites accountable for dangerous product defects. For online consumers, understanding the many inherent safety risks among the extensive array of products they browse is a formidable task. The authors attempt to address this problem via a client-side software artifact that warns shoppers about potential product safety hazards at the point of sale.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors built four candidate designs and assessed their effectiveness by means of a large randomized controlled experiment (n = 466). The authors define effectiveness as significant changes in dependent variables associated with health behaviors and technology adoption.
Findings
The authors find that all of the designs score high on adoption likelihood, that designs incorporating highlighting and scoring are better at increasing safety knowledge and that simpler designs are better at enhancing safety awareness.
Originality/value
These findings will inform the design of safety information dissemination systems and open new areas of safety awareness enhancement research. More generally, the authors introduce a novel method of testing text visualization variations and their impact on behavioral decisions.
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Parviz Ghoddousi and Ali Zamani
Given the cruciality of construction workers' safe behaviors, the possible influential factors on workers' behaviors should be studied, and one of these factors is…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the cruciality of construction workers' safe behaviors, the possible influential factors on workers' behaviors should be studied, and one of these factors is characteristics. The authors identified emotional intelligence (EI), motivation and job burnout as characteristics that might affect a worker's safety behavior, and the aim of this study is to investigate these possible relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Workers' EI, motivation and job burnout status were assessed by a structured interview. Furthermore, workers' safety behaviors were assessed by a checklist derived from national codes, regulations and other research studies. Then, the researcher's observations took place, and the data were acquired.
Findings
EI and motivation of workers were able to predict safety behaviors, and the effect of job burnout on safety behaviors was not significant. In addition, motivation's influence on job burnout was not significant. Therefore, in order to promote safety behaviors, the EI and motivation of workers need to be taken into consideration.
Practical implications
The results indicate why construction managers should consider the workers' EI and motivation competencies and how this consideration could lead to safer and better performance in construction projects.
Originality/value
The possible effects of EI, motivation and job burnout on the safety behaviors of construction workers haven't been paid enough attention. Moreover, the authors couldn't find a study similar to the present one that was conducted in Iran. Also, an original model was presented, and safety behaviors were studied through fieldwork rather than using questionnaires.
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Olatoyese Zaccheus Oni, AbdulLateef Olanrewaju and Soo Cheen Khor
The construction industry has been recording a high number of accidents without any sign of abating, the majority of which have been linked to poor health and safety practices. To…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry has been recording a high number of accidents without any sign of abating, the majority of which have been linked to poor health and safety practices. To reduce this menace, this study aims to evaluate the factors affecting health and safety practices on construction sites to improve health and safety practices.
Design/methodology/approach
First, this study reviewed previous studies to derive the factors affecting health and safety practices on construction sites, and based on the literature review, the 50 factors identified were used in developing the questionnaire that was administered to construction professionals. The returned questionnaire was then analysed using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).
Findings
According to the FSE results, inadequate safety planning has the highest critical value, followed by management failure, inadequate safety promotion, safety ignorance, poor supervision and enforcement, a casual attitude towards safety and insufficient experience. The analysis showed that the overall criticality of the factors to the Malaysian construction industry is high, suggesting that if addressed, the health and safety practices of the industry will be improved.
Originality/value
The study provides a holistic approach to the factors affecting health and safety practices in the construction industry using a method that has not been used by previous researchers. The findings will furnish decision makers in the construction industry with practical approaches to adapt and reinforce in the industry to improve health and safety practices.
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Frederick Owusu Danso, Kofi Agyekum, Patrick Manu, Emmanuel Adinyira, Divine K. Ahadzie and Edward Badu
Although many health and safety (H&S) studies have widely examined safety risk perception in the construction industry, few studies have explored how this perception influences…
Abstract
Purpose
Although many health and safety (H&S) studies have widely examined safety risk perception in the construction industry, few studies have explored how this perception influences site workers' risk-taking behaviours during construction. This study aims to examine how construction site workers perceive and judge safety risks in risk-taking behaviours of site workers for intervention safety policy framework that may encourage safe work.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed Pictorial-based Q-Methodology, which documented 63 picture scenarios of risk-taking behaviours from building sites and submitted them for validation from H&S inspectors. In total, 33 pictures emerged as having great potential to cause harm. After using these 33 pictures to elicit data from randomised site workers, the study used Frequency Tabulation, Relative Importance Index (RII) and Kruskal–Wallis Test to analyse the collected data. To fully explain the analysed data for deeper understanding, the study conducted Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with these site workers to share the thoughts of site workers on these pictures.
Findings
Two distinctive pictures emerged from these analyses: one showing risk-taking behaviour likely to contract internal and skin disease and the other likely to fall from height. One of the implications is that construction site workers are unfamiliar with the dangerous contaminants in the materials the site workers use to work, which can potentially harm the site workers' skin and internal organs. Hence, site workers continue engaging in risk-taking behaviours. The other is that site workers are aware of and can mention catastrophic physical injuries attached to site workers' jobs. However, site workers continue engaging in risk-taking behaviours because of site workers' safety plights and rely on the favour and mercies of a supreme being as coping strategies to escape from these physical injuries.
Originality/value
This study is original in that the study uses picture scenarios of risk-taking behaviours to amass an empirical-based understanding of how site workers perceive and respond to H&S risks during construction. This piece of evidence is missing in the numerous research studies in this area. Again, the findings contribute to the state-of-the-art literature regarding risk-taking behaviours on construction sites.
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Aziz Yousif Shaikh, Robert Osei- kyei, Mary Hardie and Matt Stevens
This paper systematically reviewed research work on drivers of teamwork, which will reinforce construction work teams to enhance workers’ safety performance. This study adds to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper systematically reviewed research work on drivers of teamwork, which will reinforce construction work teams to enhance workers’ safety performance. This study adds to the existing but limited understanding of teamwork drivers on construction workers’ safety performance. This paper presents scholars and industry-based professionals with critical initiatives that have to be implemented in organisations to get positive results in safety while working in teams with an emphasis on systems drivers of teamwork on safety performance at the organisational level, which will help in providing information on the functioning of the teams and contribute towards improved safety performance of team workers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study aims to systematically examine the existing body of knowledge on drivers of teamwork by analysing 53 publications from the years 1997–2021. The Scopus search engine was used to conduct a systematic review and germane publications were collated.
Findings
According to the findings of the review, since 1997, there has been a burgeoning concern in the research of drivers of teamwork and its impact on workers’ safety performance. After performing a systematic review, 37 drivers of teamwork were identified. The top five drivers are effective communications, team workers’ relations, leadership, shared knowledge and information, and team training. Moreover, it was noted that the United States and Australia have been the international regions of focus for most of the research in the area of drivers of teamwork from the years 1997–2021. The 37 drivers of teamwork are distributed into six major socio-technical components: people drivers; culture drivers; metrics drivers; organisational and management practices and procedures drivers; infrastructure drivers and technology drivers.
Practical implications
The results reported present research scholars and professional practitioners with an overview of the drivers of teamwork that could be implemented in the construction industry to streamline potential implementations and improve safety performance of construction workers.
Originality/value
A list of teamwork drivers has been developed to ratify potential empirical research in the area of construction safety. The results would contribute to the existing but restricted understanding of drivers of teamwork in the construction industry.
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Alex Acheampong, Elvis Konadu Adjei, Anita Odame Adade-Boateng, Ernest Kissi, Patrick Manu and David Wireko Atibila
The uptake of Design for Safety (DfS) practices in developing countries like Ghana has been limited. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers across…
Abstract
Purpose
The uptake of Design for Safety (DfS) practices in developing countries like Ghana has been limited. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers across regulatory, organizational, cultural and educational dimensions that restrict DfS assimilation in the Ghanaian construction sector. Identifying the key impediments can inform policy initiatives and industry efforts to facilitate safer construction.
Design/methodology/approach
A postpositive philosophy underpinned the quantitative research. Multi-stage research was used. A comprehensive questionnaire survey was designed and given to six industry experts to assess clarity, relevance and effectiveness after a thorough literature review. In all, 164 professionals were reached to take part in the study using purposive sampling and consequently snowballing. “Variables” were ranked using mean score ranking and normalization techniques; exploratory factor analysis was then used to group variables into clusters.
Findings
Emergent findings revealed four distinct clusters of challenges; Design Process and Communication Challenges; Regulatory and Expertise Limitations; Planning and Education Constraints; and Attitudinal and Perception Barriers. These findings help identify targeted solutions to overcome barriers including developing robust regulatory frameworks, promoting collaboration among stakeholders and cultivating a positive safety culture.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the integration of DfS in the context of the developing construction industry in Ghana. This study expands the knowledge base to drive further research in enhancing construction safety in developing countries. Practical recommendations for overcoming these challenges are proposed.
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