Why construction workers involve in unsafe behaviors? Part A: A qualitative research

Background and aims: The construction industry continues to rank among the most dangerous industries worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing unsafe behavior in the construction industry from the perspective of experienced workers, supervisors and managers. Methods: Triangulation approach was used for data generation in this grounded theory study. Sixty nine participants from a variety of work groups took part in focus group interviews, individual interviews, field observations, and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was conducted to emerge and identify the contributing factors. Results: The thematic analysis identified six main categories as influencing factors of unsafe behaviors, namely: (1) Social (2) Organizational (3) Contractor (4) Supervision and system safety (5) Unsafe condition and (6) Individual characteristics. Conclusion: Our findings indicated the significant role of social and organization factors as the precondition of unsafe conditions and behaviors. These results can be used to improve safe behaviors on construction sites. Keyword: Unsafe behavior Conceptual model Grounded theory Construction industry