BACKGROUND: The construction industry is one of the sectors with
the highest accident rates and the most serious accidents. A multi-agent
safety response approach allows a useful diagnostic tool in order to
understand factors affecting risk and accidents. The special features of the
construction sector can influence the relationships among safety responses
along the model of safety influences.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to test a model explaining
risk and work-related accidents in the construction industry as a result of
the safety responses of the organization, the supervisors, the co-workers
and the worker.
METHODS: Sample: 374 construction employees belonging to 64 small
Spanish construction companies working for two main companies participated
in the study. Instruments: Safety responses were measured using a 45-item
Likert-type questionnaire. Methodology: The structure of the measure was
analyzed using factor analysis and the model of effects was tested using a
structural equation model.
RESULTS: Factor analysis clearly identifies the multi-agent safety
dimensions hypothesized. The proposed safety response model of work-related
accidents, involving construction specific results, showed a good fit.
CONCLUSIONS: The multi-agent safety response approach to safety
climate is a useful framework for the assessment of organizational and
behavioral risks in construction.
