Using the Risk Target Concept to Investigate Construction Workers' Potential Biases in Assigning/Assuming Safety Risk

摘要

The construction industry must plan, manage, and mitigate the safety risk that is passed down to the contractor from the owner and/or designer. Such risk is often referred to as residual risk. After the project managers and safety managers identify the safety hazards, assess their impact, and design a safety plan that addresses the hazards, the on-site personnel (foremen, crew leaders, laborers, etc.) will eventually face the risk and execute the project accordingly. This process, however does address the construction worker's assessment of safety risk for their fellow workers. Will the process of assigning tasks and/or executing tasks lead to another type or amount of residual risk that is being assumed or passed on through the chain of command? Previous research has compared the safety risk perception of construction workers and safety experts. However, an unanswered question is, how do construction personnel perceive the safety risk associated with the work at hand for workers other than themselves who may have more or less training and experience? To investigate this question, the researchers conducted a survey of more than 200 construction workers from different states. The analysis of the survey responses shows that construction workers gave different values of safety risk associated with the same task when they were asked to assess the level of risk to themselves, to their fellow workers with less training and experience, and to those who have more training and experience. Furthermore, the primary theory that comparative risk is associated with the perceived control was found to be unsuitable for construction.