A Simulation Study on the Processes of Intra-Group Informal Interaction Affecting Workers’ Safety Behaviors

Abstract

The construction industry across the world is characterized by a high safety risk, and the occurrence of these safety accidents has led to substantial economic and social losses. The workers’ unsafe behaviors are considered to be a main cause. Thus, recently, scholars in the construction industry have shifted their attention to the investigation of the influencing factors (or antecedents) and their impact on workers’ safety behaviors (WSBs), hoping to provide insight into useful management policies. The existing literature has identified many society-level, cooperation-level, project-level, and individual-level concepts influencing WSB, but ignores the influence of intra-group informal interaction (IGII) on WSB. This study constructed a conceptual model for IGII, group knowledge sharing (GKS), and group identification (GI) to determine their influence on construction workers’ safety behaviors, and then conducted simulation analysis using the software of NetLogo. The results show that IGII, GKS, and GI can positively influence workers’ safety behaviors, and IGII can also positively influence WSB through GKS and GI. This study enriches the theoretical knowledge on the causation of construction workers’ safety behaviors, provides references for project managers to carry out proper safety management, and offers a theoretic foundation for the formulation of industry regulations.

A Science Mapping Approach-Based Review of Construction Workers’ Safety-Related Behavior

“…Simultaneously, characteristics of behavior, such as individual differences [63] and transmissibility [18], have been recognized or verified by researchers in the field, providing valuable insights into understanding the formation of safety-related behavior.…”

“…The identified influencing factors span multiple levels, encompassing macro-level elements such as regulations [60] and culture [15]; meso-level factors like organizational climate [45], group interactions [18], and leadership behavior [19]; and micro-level factors such as individual experiences [51] and physiological and psychological characteristics [67]. As our comprehension of safe behavior deepens, additional influencing factors continue to emerge, as exemplified by Fang et al's identification of influencing factors for unsafe behavior rooted in the psychological decision-making process [68].…”

“…Promoting safe behaviors among construction workers and mitigating unsafe behaviors is an effective approach to enhancing safety performance in the construction industry. Numerous studies have explored construction workers' safety-related behaviors (CWSRB), examining correlations between unsafe behaviors and accidents [10,11], factors influencing safe and unsafe behaviors [12][13][14][15], mechanisms underlying the formation of safe and unsafe behaviors [16][17][18][19][20], the identification and supervision of unsafe behaviors [21,22], and interventions targeting unsafe behaviors [23,24]. Despite the wealth of research outcomes, existing findings still struggle to adequately elucidate the complex formation and development of safety-related behaviors on site.…”

Relationship model of the agents of the coffee value chain in Honduras: the effect of rust

“…Las estructuras de las redes influyen en diferentes indicadores como la densidad, el coeficiente de conglomerado lo cual afecta la colaboración de los diferentes agentes [13]. Otro ejemplo del efecto de las estructuras es la interacción de estructura social, productiva y organizacional, la cual muestra una dinámica que permite la reproducción socio territorial [14].…”