Babu, A.; Krishnan, K.; Dutta, P. and Khan, T. (2026) Multistakeholder SEM-based evaluation of safety factors in road construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(7): 04026084, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Road construction sites are high-risk zones where safety must remain a top priority at every stage, from initial planning to final execution. This study aims to identify the main factors affecting safety performance on road construction sites by examining the perspectives of three key stakeholder groups: construction workers, engineers, and the public. To conduct this investigation, structural equation modeling (SEM) is used as the primary analytical tool. Data are collected through a large-scale questionnaire survey distributed among 4,500 respondents (1,500 from each group). The analysis focuses on seven major safety factors: personal protective equipment (PPE), signboards, safety training, communication, site inspections, traffic control measures, and environmental management. Among these, PPE, signboards, and traffic control emerge as the most influential in improving safety outcomes. These findings suggest that by giving priority to these areas, project teams and policymakers can significantly reduce accidents and foster a stronger culture of safety in road construction.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | environmental management; measurement model; safety performance; structural equation modeling; structural model |
| Index terms: | culture of safety, inspection, engineer, investigation, road construction, personal protective equipment, project team, environmental management, construction worker, safety training, survey, structural equation modelling, questionnaire, safety factor, safety performance |
| Subjects: | occupational health and safety management, statistical analysis, environmental health, civil engineering, project delivery, profession, data collection methods, quality assurance, sustainability assessment, financial risk, practitioner |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Sustainability, Health and Safety, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Roles and Professions, Cost Management, 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