Mental Process Model for Human-based Safety Management in Construction Industry

Abstract

Safety management parts can be classified into Environment-based Safety Management (ESM) and Human-based Safety Management (HSM). To attain a desired safety level, improving both parts is required. The current safety management, however, is conducted focusing mainly on the ESM, not on the HSM. In order to conduct balanced safety management, a mental process to support the HSM is required to be identified. Thus, this study presents a mental process model which explicates how a worker makes a decision on safe behaviors. The model consists of three sub-models: Model for Workers Decision-Making on Safe Behavior, Model for Optimistic Recovery, and Model for Habituation. Model for Workers Decision-Making on Safe Behaviors explains how a worker makes a decision based on his/her risk perception and expected utility of safe behaviors. Model for Optimistic Recovery explains how the effect of accidents on a worker dwindles and how the worker recovers from the effect of accidents. Model for Habituation explains the behavioral inertia due to habituation. Based on the quantified mental process model, three strategies were suggested.

(a) Allocate most of the incentives to the early stage if giving incentives is considered.

(b) Encourage workers to share information of accidents.

(c) Help workers to believe the shared accidents as what can happen to them.

This study has provided a better understanding and a logical basis for the HSM. In addition, the HSM strategies proposed in this study can be meaningful alternatives to decision-makers.