Safety investments and safety climate in construction sites

Abstract

Problem: Safety climate refers to the degree to which employees believe true priority is given to organizational safety performance. It is considered to be a reflection of actual safety culture. Safety investments refer to the expenses for all kinds of accident prevention activities. However, the links between safety investments and safety climate remain unclear. It is not known which components of safety investments are effective to construct a positive safety climate in construction environment. Objective: This study aims to examine the actual links between safety investments and safety climate in the context of building construction in Singapore. Method: face-to-face interview with a questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. Results: The results of this study show that different components of safety investments have different effects on safety climate of building projects. Implications: The findings are important because they may provide the basis for contractors to formulate the strategies for constructing a positive safety climate of their construction sites. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.