Huang, W; Zhong, D and Chen, Y (2024) The relationship between construction workers' emotional intelligence and safety performance. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 31(5), pp. 2176-2201. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: Construction enterprises are achieving the goal of production safety by increasingly focusing on the critical factor of “human” and the impact of individual characteristics on safety performance. Emotional intelligence is categorized into three models: skill-based, trait-based and emotional learning systems. However, the mechanism of action and the internal relationship between emotional intelligence and safety performance must be further studied. This study intends to examine the internal mechanism of emotional intelligence on safety performance in construction projects, which would contribute to the safety management of construction enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: A structural equation model exploring the relationship between emotional intelligence and safety performance is developed, with political skill introduced as an independent dimension, situational awareness presented as a mediator, and management safety commitment introduced as a moderator. Data were collected by a random questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 26.0. The structural equation model tested the mediation hypothesis, and the PROCESS macro program tested the moderated mediation hypothesis. Findings: The results showed that construction workers' emotional intelligence directly correlates with safety performance, and situational awareness plays a mediating role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and the safety performance of construction workers. Management safety commitment weakens the positive predictive relationships between emotional intelligence and situational awareness and between emotional intelligence and safety performance. Originality/value: This research reveals a possible impact of emotional intelligence on safety performance. Adding political skills to the skill-based model of emotional intelligence received a test pass. Political skill measures the sincere and cooperative skills of construction workers. Using people as a critical element plays a role in the benign mechanism of “Emotional Intelligence – Situational Awareness – Safety Performance.” Improving emotional intelligence skills through training, enhancing situational awareness, understanding, anticipation and coordination and activating management environment factors can improve safety performance. Construction enterprises should evaluate and train workers' emotional intelligence to improve workers' situational awareness and safety performance.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | emotional intelligence; management safety commitment; safety performance; situational awareness |
| Index terms: | construction worker, dimension, coordination, structural equation model, emotional intelligence, critical factor, mediator, safety management, safety performance, methodology, construction project, program, questionnaire, commitment, political skill, mediation |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, risk assessment, dispute resolution, practitioner, psychology, health monitoring assessment and metrics, software systems, research methods, management, production management, employment law, occupational health and safety management, statistical analysis |
| Topics: | Project Management, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Roles and Professions, Risk Management, Human Resources, Legal Issues, Digital Applications, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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