Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behavior
On high-risk construction sites, frontline workers are constantly exposed to dual channels of safety communication: supervisory safety communication (SSC) and coworker safety communication (CSC). While existing research has emphasized the general importance of safety communication in promoting safet...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1660513/full |
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| author | Sainan Lyu Jiade Xi Peng Cui Peng Cui Rita Peihua Zhang Xiaoyan Jiang Beibei Zhang |
| author_facet | Sainan Lyu Jiade Xi Peng Cui Peng Cui Rita Peihua Zhang Xiaoyan Jiang Beibei Zhang |
| author_sort | Sainan Lyu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On high-risk construction sites, frontline workers are constantly exposed to dual channels of safety communication: supervisory safety communication (SSC) and coworker safety communication (CSC). While existing research has emphasized the general importance of safety communication in promoting safety performance, the differentiated effects and psychological mechanisms of SSC and CSC remain underexplored. To address this gap, this study aims to adopt a Conservation of Resources (COR) theory framework to examine how SSC and CSC influence construction workers' safety behavior (SB) through psychological mechanisms, and how these effects vary under different levels of work pressure (WP). A survey was conducted with 359 frontline construction workers in large-scale projects across China, and data were analyzed by multiple linear regression and an interaction analysis with simple slopes. Results show that SSC (β = 0.234, p < 0.001) and CSC (β = 0.545, p < 0.001) both positively affect SB. Mediation analysis confirmed the roles of SKSE, SM, and POS, with SM showing the strongest effect (β = 0.235, p < 0.001). WP was found to weaken SSC's effects but not CSC's. These findings advance COR theory by clarifying psychological resource pathways in safety communication. Practically, the study suggests differentiated strategies for leveraging supervisory and coworker communication to enhance safety under varying work pressures. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6ab86ee2f21b4a6da14ee18f88126fc5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-6ab86ee2f21b4a6da14ee18f88126fc52025-08-20T05:32:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-08-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.16605131660513Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behaviorSainan Lyu0Jiade Xi1Peng Cui2Peng Cui3Rita Peihua Zhang4Xiaoyan Jiang5Beibei Zhang6School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Applied Physics and Electronics, Umea University, Umeå, SwedenSchool of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaSchool of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaOn high-risk construction sites, frontline workers are constantly exposed to dual channels of safety communication: supervisory safety communication (SSC) and coworker safety communication (CSC). While existing research has emphasized the general importance of safety communication in promoting safety performance, the differentiated effects and psychological mechanisms of SSC and CSC remain underexplored. To address this gap, this study aims to adopt a Conservation of Resources (COR) theory framework to examine how SSC and CSC influence construction workers' safety behavior (SB) through psychological mechanisms, and how these effects vary under different levels of work pressure (WP). A survey was conducted with 359 frontline construction workers in large-scale projects across China, and data were analyzed by multiple linear regression and an interaction analysis with simple slopes. Results show that SSC (β = 0.234, p < 0.001) and CSC (β = 0.545, p < 0.001) both positively affect SB. Mediation analysis confirmed the roles of SKSE, SM, and POS, with SM showing the strongest effect (β = 0.235, p < 0.001). WP was found to weaken SSC's effects but not CSC's. These findings advance COR theory by clarifying psychological resource pathways in safety communication. Practically, the study suggests differentiated strategies for leveraging supervisory and coworker communication to enhance safety under varying work pressures.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1660513/fullsupervisory safety communicationcoworker safety communicationsafety behaviorsafety knowledge self-efficacysafety motivationpsychological ownership for safety |
| spellingShingle | Sainan Lyu Jiade Xi Peng Cui Peng Cui Rita Peihua Zhang Xiaoyan Jiang Beibei Zhang Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behavior Frontiers in Public Health supervisory safety communication coworker safety communication safety behavior safety knowledge self-efficacy safety motivation psychological ownership for safety |
| title | Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behavior |
| title_full | Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behavior |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behavior |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behavior |
| title_short | Understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers' behavior |
| title_sort | understanding the effects of supervisory and coworker safety communication on construction workers behavior |
| topic | supervisory safety communication coworker safety communication safety behavior safety knowledge self-efficacy safety motivation psychological ownership for safety |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1660513/full |
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