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3 pages, 166 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety

by Yingbin Feng and Peng Zhang

Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1182; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051182 - 29 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1068

Abstract

Construction workplaces are experiencing rapid changes as a result of digitalization, globalization, industrialization, and sustainability [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

Research

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20 pages, 368 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Influence of Contracting Models on the Well-Being of Construction Workers in the Brazilian Amazon

by Ernani Antônio Oliveira Neto, Letícia Gonçalves, Felipe Moreira, Wylliam Santana and Luiz Maurício Maués

Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2539; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082539 - 18 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 760

Abstract

The construction industry is known to present various stress-inducing conditions for its workforce, especially for workers under different employment arrangements. This research aims to investigate the influence of employment status (permanent and temporary workers) on the perception of well-being at work (WBW). The [...] Read more.

The construction industry is known to present various stress-inducing conditions for its workforce, especially for workers under different employment arrangements. This research aims to investigate the influence of employment status (permanent and temporary workers) on the perception of well-being at work (WBW). The study also aims to assess whether variables such as satisfaction, commitment, and involvement are statistically significant in evaluating construction workers’ WBW. The research was conducted at various construction sites located in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 376 responses were obtained using the Work Well-being Inventory (IBET-13) questionnaire. A multiple linear regression model was constructed to understand the relationship between self-perceived well-being (dependent variable) by employees and employment status, satisfaction, commitment, and involvement at work (independent variables). The results suggest that the employment arrangement does not significantly impact the evaluation of well-being, indicating that other factors may mediate the relationship between WBW and mental health, as well as contribute to explaining this result, such as current legislation, occupational characteristics, and unique aspects of the Brazilian reality. The research findings can contribute to the development of strategies that promote a more sustainable and healthy construction environment for workers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

20 pages, 724 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Causal Model Analysis of the Effect of Policy Formalism, COVID-19 Fear, Social Support and Work Stress on Construction Workers’ Anxiety during the Epidemic

by Tsung-Lin Wu and Hsiang-Te Liu

Buildings 2023, 13(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010010 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2543

Abstract

This study mainly explores the impact of policy formalism, COVID-19 fear, social support, and work stress on the anxiety of construction workers during the epidemic. The main objective of this study is to incorporate formalism variables to explore their impact on the stress [...] Read more.

This study mainly explores the impact of policy formalism, COVID-19 fear, social support, and work stress on the anxiety of construction workers during the epidemic. The main objective of this study is to incorporate formalism variables to explore their impact on the stress and anxiety of construction workers during the epidemic. In particular, the variable of formalism is changed from the variable of government bureaucracy to the cognition of “policy formalism” of the general public. This study intends to understand whether the gap between epidemic prevention regulations and practices affects the fear of construction site workers. A total of 743 construction site worker samples in the leisure industry were collected in this study, and the established hypotheses were tested using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results of the study confirmed that during the COVID-19 outbreak, social support of site workers negatively affects anxiety; COVID-19 fear positively affects anxiety and work stress; work stress mediates the relationship between COVID-19 fear and anxiety; fear of infecting family members and fear of infecting self both positively affect anxiety; policy formalism positively affects fear of infecting family members and fear of infecting self. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

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16 pages, 1284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Critical Systems-Thinking-Based Leadership Competencies as Enablers to Better Construction Safety Performance

by Anas A. Makki and Hassan M. Alidrisi

Buildings 2022, 12(11), 1819; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12111819 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1933

Abstract

Safety is an essential success factor in construction projects. However, due to the complexity of construction projects, accidents typically occur randomly. Thus, efficient leadership based on a systematic approach is vital to reduce the possibility of accidents occurring. A combination of emotional, social, [...] Read more.

Safety is an essential success factor in construction projects. However, due to the complexity of construction projects, accidents typically occur randomly. Thus, efficient leadership based on a systematic approach is vital to reduce the possibility of accidents occurring. A combination of emotional, social, and cognitive competencies aligns with the Systems-Thinking concept. This concept enables safety leaders to influence their followers effectively. Systems-thinking-based leadership enables safety leaders to know how, when, and what leadership behaviors should be acquired and practiced. Therefore, it is essential to understand the interrelationships among those competencies. The main objective of this research study is to model the interpretive structure of critical Systems-Thinking-based leadership competencies as enablers to better construction safety performance. The Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) approach was followed to achieve the objective using safety experts’ opinion data collected via questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed using 14 Systems-Thinking-based leadership competencies to collect information on the direction of influence among the competencies. Results of the modeled interrelationships demonstrated that cognitive competencies are the preliminary building blocks to other social and emotional competencies enabling construction safety performance. The developed model provides a better understanding of how safety performance can be improved by building those competencies in construction personnel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

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17 pages, 584 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Maturity Model for Resilient Safety Culture Development in Construction Companies

by Minh Tri Trinh and Yingbin Feng

Buildings 2022, 12(6), 733; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12060733 - 28 May 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4572

Abstract

A resilient safety culture is characterized by the capability of addressing the changing and unforeseen safety risks associated with the increasingly complex nature of sociotechnical systems, and creating an ultrasafe organization. An assessment of the maturation of resilient safety culture helps organizations to [...] Read more.

A resilient safety culture is characterized by the capability of addressing the changing and unforeseen safety risks associated with the increasingly complex nature of sociotechnical systems, and creating an ultrasafe organization. An assessment of the maturation of resilient safety culture helps organizations to evaluate their capabilities of managing safety risks and achieving a consistently high safety performance. This study aims to present a maturity model developed to measure and improve resilient safety culture in the construction environment. The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage consisted of a review of the literature on the concepts of a resilient safety culture and the capability maturity model for the development of a maturity model. In the second stage, the developed model was evaluated using the Delphi technique. The model defines five maturity levels that can be used to measure resilient safety culture of a construction organization. It presents a set of descriptions of 19 aspects of resilient safety culture at each maturity level. The assessment procedure and the way of using the model are further discussed. Theoretically, this study provides insights into the maturity characteristics of a resilient safety culture. In practical terms, it offers guidance for benchmarking and encouraging the enhancement of organizations’ capabilities to manage safety risks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

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26 pages, 2396 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Job Satisfaction of New Generation of Construction Workers in China: A Study Based on DEMATEL and ISM

by Guodong Ni, Huaikun Li, Tinghao Jin, Haibo Hu and Ziyao Zhang

Buildings 2022, 12(5), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12050609 - 6 May 2022

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5188

Abstract

China’s construction industry is facing serious problems of aging construction workers and labor shortages. Improving the job satisfaction of construction workers is a key point for retaining existing construction workers and for attracting younger generations into the construction field in China. At present, [...] Read more.

China’s construction industry is facing serious problems of aging construction workers and labor shortages. Improving the job satisfaction of construction workers is a key point for retaining existing construction workers and for attracting younger generations into the construction field in China. At present, the new generation of construction workers (NGCW) born after 1980 has been the main force on construction sites in China. Therefore, it is very important to study and explore the influencing factors of the job satisfaction of the NGCW. This paper aims to determine the influencing factors of job satisfaction of the NGCW through literature research and to clarify the interaction mechanisms and hierarchical structures of influencing factors using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to design appropriate human resource practices to promote their job satisfaction. Research findings show that there are 12 main influencing factors of job satisfaction of the NGCW, which are at three levels: personal traits, job characteristics and social environment, and the influencing factors can be divided into a cause group and an effect group, including four layers: the root layer, controllable layer, key layer and direct layer in the multi-level hierarchical structure model. Furthermore, the critical influencing factors of the job satisfaction of the NGCW consist of education level, competency, career development, salaries and rewards, rights protection and work–family balance. This research enriches the job satisfaction literature of construction workers and provides an important reference for decision makers in construction enterprises and the construction industry to understand what influences the job satisfaction of the NGCW and how it is influenced to then improve it in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

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21 pages, 2943 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Incentive Mechanism of Construction Safety from the Perspective of Mutual Benefit

by Jun Liu, Xinhua Wang, Xiao Nie and Rongwu Lu

Buildings 2022, 12(5), 536; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12050536 - 22 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2222

Abstract

Improving the level of construction safety is an important task for stakeholders. How to balance the interests and reduce the conflicts between stakeholders has become the key factor in reducing accidents. To design incentive mechanisms that can not only improve the level of [...] Read more.

Improving the level of construction safety is an important task for stakeholders. How to balance the interests and reduce the conflicts between stakeholders has become the key factor in reducing accidents. To design incentive mechanisms that can not only improve the level of construction safety but also make the construction enterprise and construction workers mutually beneficial, differential game models under different incentive mechanisms are constructed. The study found that the greater the impact of construction workers’ safety efforts on the safety reward and punishment, the higher the level of construction safety. However, when construction workers’ efforts have too much impact on the reward and punishment, it is not conducive to the improvement of the income of the construction enterprise. The smaller the proportion of income allocated to the construction enterprise, the higher the level of construction safety. However, when the proportion of income obtained by the construction enterprise is too low, it is not conducive to the improvement of the income of the construction enterprise. The safety reward and punishment mechanism and the income sharing mechanism that meet specific conditions can make the construction enterprise and construction workers mutually beneficial. In addition, the level of construction safety and the income of the construction enterprise and construction workers under the combination mechanism composed of the reward and punishment mechanism and the income sharing mechanism is higher than that under a single mechanism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

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Review

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19 pages, 912 KiB

Open AccessReview

Theorizing to Improve Mental Health in Multicultural Construction Industries: An Intercultural Coping Model

by Qinjun Liu, Yingbin Feng and Kerry London

Buildings 2021, 11(12), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11120662 - 18 Dec 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5526

Abstract

Construction workers are exposed to a range of stressors that lead to mental ill-health. In a multicultural construction workplace, the interactions between workers with different cultural backgrounds may aggravate mental health issues. Existing studies on coping typically focus on a reactive approach to [...] Read more.

Construction workers are exposed to a range of stressors that lead to mental ill-health. In a multicultural construction workplace, the interactions between workers with different cultural backgrounds may aggravate mental health issues. Existing studies on coping typically focus on a reactive approach to managing stressors in the absence of cultural-related factors. This approach is inadequate in addressing mental health issues in a culturally diverse construction workplace. This paper presents a critical review that synthesizes and analyses theories and models of stress and coping, proactive coping, occupational stress, acculturative stress, and intercultural competence to develop a conceptual model for managing mental health in a multicultural construction workforce. The proposed model relies upon a positive coping mechanism, i.e., intercultural coping, to manage stressful events during the entire coping process in a multicultural workplace, towards achieving sustained good mental health. The proposed conceptual model contributes to the development of coping theories and positive psychology approaches and provides effective coping strategies to enhance psychological well-being in a multicultural context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Workplace Trends and Work Health and Safety)

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