TITLE:
Construction Workers’ Perceptions of Safety Practices: A Case Study in Mexico
AUTHORS:
Rómel G. Solís-Carcaño, Ricardo J. Franco-Poot
KEYWORDS:
Construction; Safety; Motivation; Work Integration; Accidents
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Building Construction and Planning Research,
Vol.2 No.1,
March
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: Organizational characteristics and worker perceptions are among the main factors affecting the safety climate in construction sites. Although some perceptions of the workers may seem absurd to others, these components are part of their reality. Worker behavior is an extremely important factor in workplace safety as many accidents are often caused by insecure actions, in which combinations of human behavior are the consequence of such perceptions. The aim of this study was to explore workers’ perceptions of safety practices in their habitual work environment, a building site in Mexico. Worker perceptions of safety practices were captured using an instrument in which the following dimensions were taken into consideration: Education and training, Work motivation, Family and social integration, Work place integration, Safety awareness integration, and Accidents. The conclusion was that the workers have received very little education and possess a limited culture of safety awareness, which has led them to perceive that their lack of precaution is the main cause of accidents.