Investigating ethnic minorities' perceptions of safety climate in the construction industry

Albert P C Chan; Francis K W Wong; Carol K H Hon; Sainan Lyu; Arshad Ali Javed

doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2017.08.006

Investigating ethnic minorities' perceptions of safety climate in the construction industry

J Safety Res. 2017 Dec:63:9-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2017.08.006. Epub 2017 Aug 23.

Authors

Albert P C Chan¹, Francis K W Wong², Carol K H Hon³, Sainan Lyu⁴, Arshad Ali Javed⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR, China. Electronic address: albert.chan@polyu.edu.hk.
² Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, SAR, China. Electronic address: francis.wong@polyu.edu.hk.
³ School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia. Electronic address: carol.hon@qut.edu.au.
⁴ Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, SAR, China; School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia. Electronic address: lyusainan@163.com.
⁵ Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China. Electronic address: aajaved@hku.hk.

PMID: 29203028
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2017.08.006

Abstract

Introduction: An increasing number of ethnic minorities (EMs) have been employed in the construction industry to alleviate severe labor shortages in many countries. Unfortunately, statistics show that EMs have higher fatal and non-fatal occupational injury rates than their local counterparts. However, EMs are often underrepresented in safety climate (SC) research as they are difficult to reach and gauge their perception. A positive relationship has been widely found between SC and safety performance. Understanding the safety perceptions of EMs helps to reduce injuries and improve their safety performance.

Method: Based on a sample of 320 EMs from 20 companies in the construction industry, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to identify the SC factors of EMs, and validate the extracted factors, respectively. Multivariate analysis of variance was undertaken to examine mean differences in perceptions of SC by personal characteristics.

Results: Three SC factors for EMs encapsulating 16 variables were identified through EFA. The hypothesized CFA model for a three-factor structure derived from EFA showed a satisfactory goodness-of-fit, composite reliability, and construct validity.

Conclusions: Three SC factors were identified, namely: (a) safety management commitment, safety resources, and safety communication; (b) employee's involvement and workmate's influence; and (c) perception of safety rules, procedures and risks. The perceptions of SC differed significantly by nationality, marital status, the number of family members supported, and drinking habit.

Practical applications: This study reveals the perception of EMs toward SC. The findings highlight the areas for safety improvement and provide leading indicators for safety performance of EMs. The findings are also enlightening for countries with a number of EMs, such as the United Sates, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and the Middle East.

Keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); Construction management; Ethnic minority; Exploratory factor analysis (EFA); Safety climate.

MeSH terms

Adult
Attitude*
Australia
Construction Industry* / organization & administration
Ethnicity*
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Minority Groups*
Occupational Health*
Organizational Culture*
Perception
Reproducibility of Results
Safety Management* / methods
Young Adult