Investigating the Behavioral Complexities of Construction Site Workers Leading to their Unsafe Behaviors in Pakistan

Abstract

Construction industry of Pakistan accounts for employing nearly 8% of total population with contributing nearly 4% to the national exchequer. Despite this share to the national economy, the construction sector of the country is remarked by the poor safety standards mainly accounting due to the unsafe behaviors of construction workers on construction sites. The unsafe behaviors of construction labors lead to massive accidents and casualties on construction sites. As identified form the literature review, the Labor based behavioral complexities are seen to be influenced through various intrinsic and extrinsic factors: the intrinsic ones include the labor based cognitive errors, inadequate work experiences to handle various construction site based risks, accumulation of stress and fatigue due to overburdening of work and lack of safety knowledge and awareness. Similarly, the extrinsic factors include the weak safety culture of the construction organizations, inappropriate subcontracting practices leading to construction disputes and hazardous working patterns on the construction labors working in a highly volatile and complex construction sector of Pakistan. These inefficiencies leading to the behavioral complexities of construction labors are analyzed using a System Dynamics (SD) model with assessing the impacts of unsafe factors leading to the unsafe behaviors of construction workers in Pakistan. The Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) are formulated to establish interlinking networks of the identified factors through literature and surveys, to examine the. Hence, these factors are envisaged to be addressed through appropriate measures such as adequate safety trainings through improvising the safety climate of the construction organizations and by thwarting the construction site’s based hazards such as prolonged and over-pressurized working patterns of construction labors, in order to avert the unsafe behaviors of construction workers in Pakistan.