The International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction
Publications / CCC 2025 - Zadar, Croatia
SAFETY CLIMATE IN HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION
This study examines safety climate perceptions in construction using two models: Safety Climate Model (SMC) and the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50). Data from 20 projects of various sizes (ranging from 11 to 50 floors) and company years of experience (1->25) were analysed using the 5-point Likert scale and ANOVA tests. SMC and NOSACQ-50 contained 10 and 7 questions, respectively. Responses were gathered from safety officers and supervisors. Results revealed insights into safety culture and the impact of management practices on safety perceptions in high-rise construction. The study found that safety climate perceptions were relatively low, with a score of 3.865 for the SCM and 3.600 for NOSACQ-50. The findings emphasize the need for stronger safety practices at higher organizational levels, particularly in management, control, and leadership. Alpha Cronbach's values were 0.935 and 0.943 for SMC and NOSACQ-50, respectively, indicating internal adherence of the models to safety practices. A moderate positive correlation of 0.470 between the two models suggests that both measures overlap, but distinct aspects of safety perceptions exist. The study underscores that project size and company years of experience do not significantly affect safety perceptions, but effective safety communication, management commitment, and employee engagement are crucial. These findings contribute to the body of knowledge by highlighting the value of using complementary assessment models to uncover nuanced dimensions of safety climate, offering a more comprehensive basis for targeted and highly effective improvements in construction safety management.