Hu, Z.; Li, S.; He, C.; Shen, Y. and Xu, Z. (2026) Effect of management commitment on construction project safety resilience: Safety competence and working conditions as the mediators. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(8): 04026123, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The construction industry is currently facing the problem of safety plateau in many countries or regions. The high incidents of safety accidents have a serious impact on economic development and workers' health. Further, under a complex and changeable environment, enhancing safety resilience is vital to deal with unknown risks for construction projects from a dynamic perspective. However, few studies empirically assessed the influence pathways of management commitment on project safety resilience, especially in the context of the construction industry, thereby reducing its potential to enhance construction safety. To help fill this gap, this study explored the relationship between perceived management commitment to safety (PMCS) and construction project safety resilience (CPSR), and tested the mediating roles of personal safety competence (PSC) and physical working conditions (PWCs). Six hundred and sixteen valid survey responses collected from five construction sites in China were used to assess the theoretical model with structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. The results showed that: (1) PMCS was positively associated with PSC and PWC, and indirectly affected CPSR through three pathways (i.e., PMCS-PSC-CPSR, PMCS-PWC-CPSR, and PMCS-PSC-PWC-CPSR); (2) PSC directly impacted PWC and CPSR, and mediated the PMCS-CPSR relationship; (3) PWC directly impacted CPSR, and mediated the PMCS-CPSR and PSC-CPSR relationships; (4) the total effects of PWC, PSC, and PMCS on CPSR were 0.549, 0.467, and 0.455, respectively. The results indicate that PMCS plays a cascading role on CPSR, and PSC and PWC mediate the PMCS-CPSR relationship. The findings illustrate the cross-level PMCS-CPSR interrelationship, and remind the safety management personnel to take a pragmatic approach and to initiate a resilient safety system integrating managerial, personal, and environmental factors, thereby fostering a stronger safety resilience for construction projects.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | safety resilience; safety commitment; personal safety competence; physical working conditions |
| Index terms: | survey, construction site, structural equation modelling, commitment, economic development, personnel, construction safety, safety management, environmental factor, China, competence, construction project, mediator, working conditions, construction industry |
| Subjects: | production management, Geography, economic development, environmental science, psychology, environmental health, statistical analysis, industry analysis, occupational health and safety management, personnel development, employment law, management, work location, dispute resolution, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Human Resources, Site Management, Organizational Design, Health and Safety, Project Management, Geographical Context, Sustainability, Legal Issues |
| 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