Identifying behaviour patterns of construction safety using system archetypes

Area of Science:

• Construction Management
• Occupational Safety and Health
• Systems Engineering

Background:

• Construction safety management faces inherent complexities due to diverse trades, multi-organizational structures, dynamic environments, and transient workforces.
• Systems thinking offers a robust framework for comprehending and addressing these intricate safety challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To deepen the understanding of the dynamic complexity within construction safety management.
• To explore and define key archetypes that characterize construction safety dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Grounded Theory Method (GTM) was employed.
• Conducted 22 interviews with diverse construction safety stakeholders, including inspectors, clients, managers, consultants, auditors, and researchers.

Main Results:

• Identified eight distinct archetypes of construction safety: safety regulations, incentive programs, procurement and safety, safety in small businesses, production and safety, workers' conflicting goals, blame on workers, and reactive/proactive learning.
• These archetypes illustrate the intricate interplay of factors across hierarchical levels and subsystems.
• The archetypes provide a tool for understanding dynamic complexity and facilitating system dynamics modeling.

Conclusions:

• The identified archetypes offer a novel framework for analyzing and managing the dynamic complexity of construction safety.
• These systemic insights can guide improved safety strategies and interventions in the construction industry.
• The archetypes serve as a foundation for developing advanced system dynamics models for construction safety processes.