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Article
Publication date: 21 May 2018

Jue Li, Minghui Yu and Hongwei Wang

On shield tunnel construction (STC) site, human error is widely recognized as essential to accident. It is necessary to explain which factors lead to human error and how these…

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Abstract

Purpose

On shield tunnel construction (STC) site, human error is widely recognized as essential to accident. It is necessary to explain which factors lead to human error and how these factors can influence human performance. Human reliability analysis supports such necessity through modeling the performance shaping factors (PSFs). The purpose of this paper is to establish and validate a PSF taxonomy for the STC context.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken in this study mainly consists of three steps. First, a description of the STC context is proposed through the analysis of the STC context. Second, the literature which stretch across the PSF methodologies, cognitive psychology and human factors of STC and other construction industries are reviewed to develop an initial set of PSFs. Finally, a final PSF set is modified and validated based on STC task analysis and STC accidents cases.

Findings

The PSF taxonomy constituted by 4 main components, 4 hierarchies and 85 PSFs is established for human behavior modeling and simulation under the STC context. Furthermore, by comparing and evaluating the performance of STC PSF and existing PSF studies, the proposed PSF taxonomy meets the requirement for qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Practical implications

The PSF taxonomy can provide a basis and support for human behavior modeling and simulation under the STC context. Integrating PSFs into a behavior simulation model provides a more realistic and integrated assessment of human error by manifesting the influence of each PSFs on the cognitive processes. The simulation results can suggest concrete points for the improvement of STC safety management.

Originality/value

This paper develops a taxonomy of PSFs that addresses the various unique influences of the STC context on human behaviors. The harsh underground working conditions and diverse resources of system information are identified as key characteristics of the STC context. Furthermore, the PSF taxonomy can be integrated into a human cognitive behavior model to predict the worker’s behavior on STC site in future work.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2022

Mehdi Mohajeri, Abdollah Ardeshir and Hassan Malekitabar

This study aims to show what interventions in human factors can effectively reduce construction workers' unsafe behavior.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to show what interventions in human factors can effectively reduce construction workers' unsafe behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

A diagnostic intervention model targeted the construction workers' weakest internal factors. The workers' behavior and cognition data were collected via a questionnaire and a video camera system from two medium-sized construction sites. A safety supervisor accompanied each site supervisor to improve construction workers' internal factors by implementing the designed intervention measures.

Findings

The statistical analysis results confirmed a persistent positive effect on construction workers' safe behavior by improving internal factors. Among the intervention programs applied, those aimed to improve the subjective norms, safety knowledge and attitudes had the most significant effect sizes.

Practical implications

The findings of this case study advise project managers to design a specific behavioral intervention that aims at improving construction workers' significant internal factors, including subjective norms, safety attitudes, habits and knowledge together with demographic characteristics to reduce construction workers' unsafe behavior.

Originality/value

While the declining rate of construction accidents approaches an asymptote which is still high, this study suggests that targeting the individual internal factors through diagnostic interventions is the key to further reduce the rate by improving construction workers' behavior.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2000

D. LANGFORD, S. ROWLINSON and E. SAWACHA

This paper identifies the critical factors that influence the attitudes of construction workers towards safe behaviour on construction sites. It studies these attitudes by using a…

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Abstract

This paper identifies the critical factors that influence the attitudes of construction workers towards safe behaviour on construction sites. It studies these attitudes by using a research model that links three themes: safety management implementation strategies, attitudes of workers about safety and behavioural factors displayed by construction workers. This model is used to frame the responses of 126 directly employed construction workers in 10 companies. Some 56 variables were identified as having a potential influence upon attitudes to safety. The initial data analysis found that 12 technical factors significantly correlated to the development of strong positive attitudes towards safety management. Second‐order analysis, using factor analysis, isolated five variables that had a major influence on safety attitudes. The five factors were: organizing for safety supervision and equipment management, industry norms and culture, attitudes to risk taking and management behaviour.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 September 2023

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.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2018

Eun Jung Ko and Sang Soo Kim

The purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences in motivations to use flexible work arrangements (FWAs) in Korea.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences in motivations to use flexible work arrangements (FWAs) in Korea.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review on theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this study considers four motivational factors that influence the intention to use FWA: motivation for personal life, motivation for productivity, peer behaviour and concerns about career disadvantages. Survey response data drawn from 92 male and 105 female Korean workers were used to analyse differences by gender.

Findings

As for the male respondents, all four motivational factors have a significant effect on the intention to use FWA. However, in the female respondents, the effects of concerns about career disadvantages on the intention to use FWA are not significant. The results of gender differences analysis show that significant difference was not found in the effect of motivation for personal life on the intention to use FWA while the other three motivational factors have significant differences by gender.

Research limitations/implications

In this research, basing its conceptual background on TPB, a novel approach is taken by introducing motivational factors as the antecedents of intention to use FWA. This is a more systematic view on individuals’ behavioural mechanism relating to the intention to choose FWA. It is also meaningful in that this study looks at the intention to use FWA from a broader perspective by suggesting gender differences as critical analysis criteria given the uniqueness of Korean labour market.

Practical implications

For an effective operation of FWA, it is important not only to launch a flexible working programme itself, but also to ensure that the users are properly understood and fairly evaluated.

Originality/value

Considering the motivations of utilising FWA from various angles will contribute to coming up with various measures to raise the use and effectiveness of FWA.

Article
Publication date: 3 November 2014

Manfredi Bruccoleri, Salvatore Cannella and Giulia La Porta

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of inventory record inaccuracy due to behavioral aspects of workers on the order and inventory variance amplification.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of inventory record inaccuracy due to behavioral aspects of workers on the order and inventory variance amplification.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopt a continuous-time analytical approach to describe the effect of inbound throughput on the inventory and order variance amplification due to the workload pressure and arousal of workers. The model is numerically solved through simulation and results are analyzed with statistical general linear model.

Findings

Inventory management policies that usually dampen variance amplification are not effective when inaccuracy is generated due to workers’ behavioral aspects. Specifically, the psychological sensitivity and stability of workers to deal with a given range of operational conditions have a combined and multiplying effect over the amplification of order and inventory variance generated by her/his errors.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of the research is that the authors model workersbehavior by inheriting a well-known theory from psychology that assumes a U-shaped relationship between stress and errors. The authors do not validate this relationship in the specific context of inventory operations.

Practical implications

The paper gives suggestions for managers who are responsible for designing order and inventory policies on how to take into account workers’ behavioral reaction to work pressure.

Originality/value

The logistics management literature does not lack of research works on behavioral decision-making causes of order and inventory variance amplification. Contrarily, this paper investigates a new kind of behavioral issue, namely, the impact of psycho-behavioral aspects of workers on variance amplification.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 44 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2019

Paul Hampton, Ezekiel A. Chinyio and Silvia Riva

The purpose of this paper is to understand more precisely the culture and interpersonal behaviours associated with stress.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand more precisely the culture and interpersonal behaviours associated with stress.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted using a qualitative approach through an ethnographic methodology in relation to three companies. The greater part of the data collection period was structured into observations that ranged between 2 and 4 hr per day, 1–3 days per week, for a period of six months. A total of ten sites were explored; and on each site, the observations involved activities by 5–20 people.

Findings

The results showed the pivotal importance of interpersonal relationships in coping with the uncertainty of working conditions, the coordination of teamwork and managing responsibilities and power interactions. It was found that the impact of stress is multifaceted, affecting the physical status, interpersonal relationships, work performance and emotional well-being of construction workers. The workers who were studied emphasised five sources of support that help moderate work-related stress: additional tools such as communication systems and software, a facilitated access to professional help (e.g. psychological services), organisational changes in leadership, provision of resources for the well-being of personnel (e.g. job training) and better teamwork.

Practical implications

The study underlines the importance of dedicated services for stress management and specific training-related abilities devoted to reinforcing positive person–organisation dynamics. In particular, the abilities should relate to managing the impact of stress in terms of physique, interpersonal relationships, work performance and emotional well-being.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to adopt a psychological perspective for understanding construction scenarios and phenomena and was conducted by a qualified psychologist.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 26 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 May 2021

Sungjoo Hwang, Seungjun Ahn and SangHyun Lee

Both system dynamics (SD) and agent-based modeling (ABM) have been used in simulation-based group dynamics research. To combine the advantages of both simulation approaches, the…

Abstract

Purpose

Both system dynamics (SD) and agent-based modeling (ABM) have been used in simulation-based group dynamics research. To combine the advantages of both simulation approaches, the concept of SD-ABM hybrid simulation has been proposed. However, research efforts to compare the effectiveness of modeling approaches between the hybrid and non-hybrid models in the context of group dynamics study are rare. Against this background, this study aims to propose an agent-embedded SD (aeSD) modeling approach and demonstrate its advantages when compared to pure SD or ABM modeling approaches, based on a research case on construction workers’ social absenteeism.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors introduce an aeSD modeling approach to incorporate individual attributes and interactions among individuals in an SD model. An aeSD model is developed to replicate the behavior of an agent-based model previously developed by the authors to study construction workers’ group behavior regarding absenteeism. Then, the characteristics of the aeSD model in comparison with a pure ABM or SD model are demonstrated through various simulation experiments.

Findings

It is demonstrated that an aeSD model can capture the diversity of individuals and simulate emergent system behaviors arising from interactions among heterogeneous agents while holding the strengths of an SD model in identifying causal feedback loops and policy testing. Specifically, the effectiveness of the aeSD approach in policy testing is demonstrated through examples of simulation experiments designed to test various group-level and individual-level interventions to control social absence behavior of workers (e.g. changing work groupings, influencing workgroup networks and communication channels) under the consideration of the context of construction projects.

Originality/value

The proposed aeSD modeling method is a novel approach to how individual attributes of agents can be modeled into an SD model. Such an embedding-based approach is distinguished from the previous communication-based hybrid simulation approaches. The demonstration example presented in the paper shows that the aeSD modeling approach has advantages in studying group dynamic behavior, especially when the modeling of the interactions and networks between individuals is needed within an SD structure. The simulation experiments conducted in this study demonstrate the characteristics of the aeSD approach distinguishable from both ABM and SD. Based on the results, it is argued that the aeSD modeling approach would be useful in studying construction workers’ social behavior and investigating worker policies through computer simulation.

Article
Publication date: 25 July 2018

Xiaoli Yan and Young-Chan Kim

The purpose of this paper is to timely control of a construction collapse accident effectively during its development process by constructing a stage model and then aligning IT…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to timely control of a construction collapse accident effectively during its development process by constructing a stage model and then aligning IT with each stage to help provide the information for decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

Through comprehensive literature review, this paper first identifies the various IT applications in on-site construction monitoring and analyzes the existed disaster/crisis stage models, also the stage models are compared with the causation models to illustrate the strengths. Then, a three-step methodology was conducted to develop and apply the conceptual framework, including the construction of the four-stage model; the establishment of the conceptual framework of information technology (IT) support for management of construction accidents (ITSMCA); and a building collapse accident used to illustrate the proposed framework.

Findings

The accident is divided into four stages, which are incubation stage, outbreak stage, spreading stage and final stage. The real-time staged information to support decision making, such as the contributing factors of on-site workers, materials, equipment and workplace, can be provided by emerging IT. Therefore, IT is aligned with the variations of contributing factors’ attributes in the four stages and ITSMCA is constructed to help accidents management.

Research limitations/implications

The focus of the framework presented in this paper is that the stage model is effective for it catches the variations of the attributes whose values can be provided by IT rather than research on the practical application of the IT system. The construction and application of the IT system will be the research focus in the future.

Originality/value

This paper presents a stage model of a building collapse accident and gives a comprehensive conceptual framework of ITSMCA, which align the IT with different stages of the collapse accident. The ITSMCA proposes a feasible ideology and practical method for real-time management of the collapse accident during the process.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 October 2023

Kerem Toker, Mine Afacan Fındıklı, Zekiye İrem Gözübol and Ali̇ Görener

This research aims to reveal the working principles of the decision mechanism that affects the use of neural implant acceptance and to discuss the leading role of digital literacy…

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to reveal the working principles of the decision mechanism that affects the use of neural implant acceptance and to discuss the leading role of digital literacy in this mechanism. In addition, it aimed to examine the theoretical connections of the research model with the conservation of resources (COR) and technology acceptance model (TAM) theories in the discussion.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from 300 individuals in an organization operating in the health sector and analyzed the data in the Smart Partial Least Squares (PLS) 3.3.3. This way, the authors determined the relationships between the variables, the path coefficients and the significance levels.

Findings

The study has found that strong digital literacy skills are linked to positive emotions and attitudes. Additionally, maintaining a positive mindset can improve one's understanding of ethics. Ethical attitudes and positive emotions can also increase the likelihood of adopting neural implants. Therefore, it is crucial to consider both technical and ethical concerns and emotions when deciding whether to use neural implants.

Originality/value

The research results determined the links between the cognitive, emotional and ethical factors in the cyborgization process of the employees and gave original insights to the managers and employees.

Highlights

  1. Determination of antecedents that affect individuals' acceptance of neural implant use.

  2. Application to 300 individuals working in a health organization.

  3. Path analysis using the least squares method via Smart PLS 3.3.3

  4. Significant path coefficients among digital literacy, positive emotions, attitude, ethical understanding and acceptance of neural implant use.

Determination of antecedents that affect individuals' acceptance of neural implant use.

Application to 300 individuals working in a health organization.

Path analysis using the least squares method via Smart PLS 3.3.3

Significant path coefficients among digital literacy, positive emotions, attitude, ethical understanding and acceptance of neural implant use.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

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