Meldrum, A; Hare, B and Cameron, I (2009) Road testing a health and safety worker engagement tool-kit in the construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 16(6), pp. 612-632. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose Worker engagement in health and safety (H amp; S) is a means to reduce risks in construction projects. A measure for worker engagement in H amp; S is a first step in ensuring improvement and maintenance of worker engagement in the construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of worker engagement in construction by testing a management instrument (WISH) developed to measure it during a construction project. Design/methodology/ approach A stratified sample of workers in a construction project organisation was studied to test the effectiveness of a site-wide engagement programme (IIF) run by the main contractor. The measurement was repeated 13 months after the first phase to check engagement at that stage of the project and to reduce bias in scoring. Findings Four key factors emerged as the independent variables on which worker engagement depends. These are: knowledge and capability to engage, perceptions, attitudes and behaviours and actual involvement in H amp; S risk management. The IIF gave a check on the validity (face, construct and content) of the instrument as a measure of worker engagement. Reliability of the measure was tested by peer scoring at the second measurement phase. The Spearman-Brown ITR/IT showed a high degree of inter-rater reliability in scores, supporting the reliability of the WISH measure. Originality/value The study provides a valid and reliable measure of worker engagement in H amp; S management for construction. The use of this instrument within the construction industry should help managements to improve the effectiveness of their worker engagement programmes.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; employee participation; performance measures; safety; United Kingdom |
| Index terms: | methodology, bias, construction project, employee participation, health and safety, United Kingdom, worker engagement, performance measure, face, programme, effectiveness, risk management, construction industry, testing, main contractor, independent variable, validity |
| Subjects: | Geography, health safety and environment, production management, probability and distributions, performance measurement, management, performance management, research methods, industry analysis, statistical analysis, project controls, practitioner, risk assessment, evaluation and assessment methods, professional practice, psychology |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Risk Management, Human Resources, Quality Management, Organizational Design, Time Control |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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