Hare, B; Cameron, I; Real, K J and Maloney, W F (2013) Exploratory case study of pictorial aids for communicating health and safety for migrant construction workers. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 139(7), pp. 818-825. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Approximately 8% of UK construction workers are from overseas. Migrant workers face several barriers, including language and communication difficulties, which have obvious implications for the management of health and safety (H&S). This paper examines the effectiveness of pictorial aids for communicating hazards and controls to migrant workers on construction sites. A lexicon of critical H&S terms was developed through content analysis of worker induction guidance. A pictorial inventory of images was developed, tailored to the lexicon. The images were tested for comprehension among 50 migrant workers. A threshold of 85% correct interpretations of each image was set. 23 images failed and were altered before retesting to satisfactory levels. Workers from European countries identified more images correctly than workers of African and Indian origin. Workers with less than 5 years' experience scored lower than more experienced workers. Pictorial aids can communicate simple hazards and controls. Cultural differences may distort comprehension. Images should supplement existing communication methods, not substitute them.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | communication; migrant; pictograms; safety |
| Index terms: | communication method, construction worker, cultural difference, construction site, health and safety, migrant worker, effectiveness, inventory, face, content analysis, case study |
| Subjects: | professional development, management, inventory management, health safety and environment, practitioner, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics, psychology, work location, cross-cultural studies, performance management |
| Topics: | International Construction, Information Management, Supply Chain Management, Health and Safety, Organizational Design, Quality Management, Site Management, Roles and Professions, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here