Safety practices in construction industry

Construction workers’ safety practices were studied in relation to individual and situational factors. The study included a survey among 384 workers, 88 foremen, and 9 superintendents employed at nine nonresidential construction sites as well as one-time observations of safety practices at each site. Most workers displayed a high compliance with safety rules. Attitude toward safety performance and age were the most powerful predictors of safety performance. No relationship was found between workers’ attitude and exposure to safety training or safety meetings. Nor was any relationship seen between workers’ knowledge of safety performance and safety interventions. Findings suggested further consideration of the training needs of younger workers and foremen and evaluation of safety interventions.