Al-Bayati, A J; Abudayyeh, O; Fredericks, T and Butt, S E (2017) Reducing fatality rates of the Hispanic workforce in the U.S. Construction industry: Challenges and strategies. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(3): 04016105, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Recent government statistics have revealed a high rate of fatalities among Hispanic workers in the U.S. construction industry. This study investigates the root causes of this issue as well as the existing attempts to manage these causes effectively. Cultural barriers are one of the root causes that have not been fully explored. This detailed investigation expands into an exploration of cultural barriers and differences, variables that are directly attributable to construction site safety. A survey instrument was designed to evaluate the existence and influence of these differences at U.S. construction sites, and data were collected from construction supervisors across the United States. The results of the survey strongly suggest the existence of two differences: high power distance and collectivism cultural dimensions. Based on the survey results and feedback from construction supervisors, recommendations for best practices in workforce development that guides construction professionals and researchers are suggested.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | active cultural difference; cultural differences; hispanic workforce; labor and personnel issues |
| Index terms: | exploration, workforce development, United States, personnel, strategy, construction site, cultural difference, survey, construction professional, best practice, investigation, construction industry, statistics, supervisor, fatalities, dimension |
| Subjects: | cross-cultural studies, industry analysis, health risk and incident analysis, management, Geography, professional development, work location, environmental resource management, health monitoring assessment and metrics, data collection methods, business, mathematical modelling, practitioner |
| Topics: | Education, Site Management, Human Resources, International Construction, Sustainability, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Information Management, Business Strategy, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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