Exploring safety violations of the construction workers in Hong Kong: a sociotechnical systems approach

Human is considered one of the key factors in construction accidents. When compared
to other countries, the Hong Kong construction industry has unique features.
Therefore, it is crucial to understand why construction workers in Hong Kong violate
safety rules and procedures. This study aims to fill a gap in existing research, as
previous studies directly related to safety violations among Hong Kong construction
workers are limited. A mixed methods strategy was adopted. Three hundred sixty-five
valid responses from the quantitative questionnaire survey were analysed to examine
the relationships using the adapted Theory of Planned Behaviour. Qualitative semistructured interviews were then conducted to explore safety violations and dynamics of
Hong Kong construction workers. The results substantiate the use of TPB in this
context. In terms of theoretical implications, the findings suggest a framework that
depicts the micro (work progress, working environment, self-awareness, and norms),
meso (quality of safety rules and procedures and high-reliability organising), and macro
factors (institutional contributors) affecting safety compliance. In terms of practical
implications, in addition to implementing interventions to improve workers' intentions
regarding safety violations, construction companies should examine the current
weaknesses in safety training while enhancing and developing a mindful safety culture
to become high-reliability organisations.