Formation Mechanism and Dynamic Evolution Laws About Unsafe Behavior of New Generation of Construction Workers Based on China’s Construction Industry: Application of Grounded Theory and System Dynamics

Abstract

Construction workers’ unsafe behavior is a major cause of safety accidents and injuries, therefore, a profound understanding of the formation process and evolution laws about construction workers’ unsafe behavior is conducive to taking measures to prevent incidents. At present, the new generation of construction workers (NGCWs) born after 1980 are gradually becoming the main force at construction sites in China. Given that generational differences of construction workers can cause the discrepancies in their thoughts and attitudes when engaging in safety-related activities, this study aims to investigate the formation mechanism and dynamic evolution laws about NGCWs’ unsafe behavior based on the context of China’s construction industry. From the perspective of behavior motivation, in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 NGCWs and 7 grassroots managers were conducted, and data analysis followed a three-step coding process based on grounded theory. Through continuous comparison, abstraction and analysis, the stimulus-organism-response theory was introduced and expanded to construct a three-stage formation mechanism model. On this basis, the causal diagram and stock flow diagram were developed based on system dynamics principles to reflect the dynamic feedback relationships of the factors in the static formation mechanism model, and simulation was carried out using Vensim PLE software. The results show that three types of internal needs and three types of external incentives stimulate corresponding motivations for NGCWs’ unsafe behavior. Two types of individual factors, five types of situational factors and behavior result play an influencing role in the decision-making process of externalizing motivation into behavior. Under the synergistic effect of multiple factors, the level of unsafe behavior displays a downward trend, and the rate of decrease is slow first and then fast. Furthermore, among individual factors and situational factors, safety awareness and safety management system have the most significant effect on the level of unsafe behavior, while situational factors play a more obvious role. The findings can provide theoretical support and practical references to China’s construction companies and government departments for the purpose of improving NGCWs’ unsafe behavior.

Influence of psychosocial safety climate on construction workers’ intent to stay, taking job satisfaction as the intermediary

“…Moreover, the explanatory power of the SOR model has been demonstrated in various attitude and behavior studies in the Chinese context (Tang et al, 2019;Zhou et al, 2022). Ni et al (2022) introduced the SOR theory to study Chinese construction workers' behavior and explained the mediating role of unsafe behavior motivation between workers' needs and unsafe behavior. Therefore, the SOR theory can provide a structured framework for this study.…”

“…, 2022). Ni et al. (2022) introduced the SOR theory to study Chinese construction workers’ behavior and explained the mediating role of unsafe behavior motivation between workers’ needs and unsafe behavior.…”

Impact of supervisor leadership on construction worker safety behavior in China: the moderating role of social capital

“…Construction workers' safety behavior Human safety behavior is the safety response of the human body to external stimuli through a variety of human actions to achieve a predetermined safety goal (Pan, 1998). Unsafe behaviors are inappropriate behaviors that lead to safety incidents (Zhu et al, 2022;Ni et al, 2022). Based on this understanding and considering the research background of this study, Construction safety behavior refers to a series of activities made by the on-site workforce when they undertake safety-related tasks or responsibilities (Li et al, 2018).…”

How resilient safety culture correct unsafe behavior of new generation of construction workers: the mediating effects of job crafting and perceived work meaningfulness

“…The new generation of construction workers (NGCWs) is mainly composed of the new generation of migrant workers, combined with the concept of construction workers, NGCWs refer to the laborers and technical workers born after January 1, 1980, who are engaged in construction-related work on the construction site in China (Ni et al. , 2020, 2022a, b). Compared with the older generation, the new generation shows significant differences in value orientation (Ni et al.…”

“…Due to the lack of more safety training and practical experience, NGCWs are not sensitive to potential hazards on the construction site and may suffer more accidents and injuries (Ni et al. , 2022a, b; Idrees et al. , 2017).…”