Conceptual model for developing resilient safety culture in the construction environment

A positive safety culture is crucial for improving the safety performance in construction workplaces. Although there are substantial efforts to achieve a high level of safety culture, the traditional approaches may not be sufficient to ensure the sustained improvement of the safety performance due to the complex nature of construction projects. This technical note aims to discuss the concept of resilient safety culture and its application in the construction environment. A conceptual model for a resilient safety culture was developed on the basis of the safety culture theory, the resilience engineering theory, the latent failure model, the human error theory, the high reliability theory, and the normal accident theory. The conceptual model proposes a measurement method for the resilient safety culture of construction projects and explains how a resilient safety culture can be created in a construction organization. This paper also proposes hypotheses regarding the effect of the project complexity and resilient safety culture on the safety performance of construction projects, on the basis of the normal accident theory. The model may serve as the theoretical basis for establishing an ultrasafe construction organization that is expected to achieve a consistently high safety performance regardless of the changing complexity levels and conditions of its construction projects.