Liang, Q.; He, L.; Ahmed, K. and Zhang, X. (2026) Identifying key value factors influencing safety participation of construction workers under stressful project situations. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(7): 04026102, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Safety participation of construction workers should be encouraged to enhance the overall workplace safety in this dangerous industry. Due to the demanding job nature, temporarily employed construction workers often suffer stress, and their safety participation can be easily restrained under stressful situations. Values can shape individuals' stress perception and prosocial behaviors, likely offering an effective way to promote safety participations by temporary workers. However, it remains unknown how values influence workers' stress and safety participation. The current study aims to identify the value factors of construction workers and investigate the influence of value factors on stress and safety participation. Two waves of a questionnaire survey were conducted to collect a total of 446 longitudinal data from Chinese construction workers. Multiple statistical analyses were performed, including exploratory and confirmatory factors analysis and reliability and validity tests, as well as regression analyses and mediating tests. A value framework was developed incorporating 19 value factors classified into four groups. Three value factors, including interpersonal integration (F5), disciplined work ethos (F11), and tradition (F14), were found to directly predict safety participation (i.e., F5: 0.106*/F11: 0.131**/F14: 0.111*). Four value factors, including hedonism (F1), interpersonal integration (F5), power resources (F6), and benevolence (F18), predict the stress [emotional stress (ES)] of workers that further influence their safety participation, establishing four value-stress-participation paths (F1: 0.140**, F5: -0.095*, F6: 0.111*, and F18: -0.096*×ES: -0.216**). Finally, some novel findings were revealed, such as the positive relationship between hedonism and emotional stress. The current study theoretically contributes to the body of knowledge in several ways, including development of a value framework for construction workers and establishment of several value-stress-safety pathways. The findings suggest industrial practices to consider value issue in promoting safety participation of temporary employees in the construction industry.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction workers; safety participation; stress; value; value framework |
| Index terms: | survey, workplace safety, temporary worker, body of knowledge, questionnaire, integration, statistical analysis, validity, regression analysis, construction industry, construction worker |
| Subjects: | demography, occupational health, evaluation and assessment methods, practitioner, knowledge management, organizational analysis, industry analysis, statistical analysis, data collection methods, data science |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Organizational Design, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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