Newaz, M T; Ershadi, M; Jefferies, M; Pillay, M and Davis, P (2023) A systematic review of contemporary safety management research: A multi-level approach to identifying trending domains in the construction industry. Construction Management and Economics, 41(2), pp. 97-115. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Safety management research in construction is pervasive, therefore, a systematic review and a bibliometric mapping process that provides an overview of how recent mainstream research topics are conceptually structured is timely. Undertaking systematic mapping, contemporaneous with a scoping review of construction safety management research, can contribute to a better understanding of research outcomes and predominant topics. This study employed VOSviewer as a bibliometric tool to identify co-author citations, as well as the co-occurrence of key terms within the title, abstract and keywords of the articles. A total of 180 representative studies published in 21 peer-reviewed journals between January 2010 and November 2021 were analysed. A systematic literature review identified a significant focus on conceptualizing safety climate and safety behaviour with a growing interest in applying advanced technologies for improved safety management. Two perspectives were recognized in safety research, i.e. process-driven and people-driven, with the former focussing on accident causation while the latter on underlying the active role of workers' involvement in safety outcomes. An in-depth discussion of the findings revealed seven trending research domains: safety systems; safety skills; accident causation; safety leadership and communications; safety behaviour and attitude; safety climate and culture; and practices for improving safety performance. This review identified an emerging interest in seeking effective leadership styles and psychological interventions to promote safety culture and behaviour. In terms of practical implications, this study found opportunities to address the gap between theory and practice by adopting systems thinking and using IT for improving safety performance in construction projects.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | occupational safety; safety culture; safety leadership; systematic literature review; systematic mapping; vosviewer |
| Index terms: | journal, occupational safety, systematic literature review, safety performance, leadership style, safety management, construction industry, safety research, safety leadership, mapping, safety climate, construction project, safety behaviour, construction safety, management research, systems thinking, safety culture |
| Subjects: | environmental health, industry analysis, production management, research evaluation and metrics, occupational health and safety management, research dissemination and communication, spatial and geospatial analysis, health safety and environment, research design and methodology, leadership, analytical methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Project Management, Organizational Design, Sustainability, 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