Investigating Integrated Risk Management and Safety Culture Strategies for Enhancing Occupational Health at Construction Sites

Hadi  Bodaghi; Mehdi Mirza Goltabar Roshan; Mohammad Ali  Sayari Nejad

Authors

Hadi Bodaghi Department of Civil Engineering, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7227-4963
Mehdi Mirza Goltabar Roshan Department of Civil Engineering, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0156-8775
Mohammad Ali Sayari Nejad Department of Civil Engineering, QaS.C., Islamic Azad University, Qaemshahr, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7809-0083

Keywords:

Integrated Risk Management, Safety Culture, Occupational Health, Construction Sites

Abstract

The construction industry has consistently been exposed to occupational hazards and work-related accidents due to its dynamic working environments and operational complexities. The present study aimed to investigate integrated risk management and safety culture strategies for enhancing occupational health at construction sites. This quantitative study employed a descriptive-correlational design and involved 382 project managers, engineers, and workers engaged in high-rise construction projects. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires assessing safety, general health, and ergonomics and were analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings indicated that safety culture and leadership commitment are critical drivers of the effectiveness of risk management systems. The results demonstrated that integrated risk management, in the absence of a supportive cultural foundation, becomes ineffective due to its reactive and bureaucratic nature. Conversely, safety culture dimensions exerted significant direct effects on improvements in employees' physical and psychological health, with leadership commitment and safety climate playing mediating roles, while effectively reducing accident frequency rates. Within this framework, employees' psychological and cognitive health emerged as a key determinant of reducing human errors and preventing physical injuries. Finally, considering the structural, economic, and contractual barriers prevailing in the construction industry, policy recommendations were proposed regarding revisions to general contractual conditions, the allocation of dedicated and non-discretionary safety budgets, and the transition toward preventive approaches supported by emerging technologies. This study demonstrated that occupational health in construction environments is not merely a technical concern but rather the outcome of synergistic interactions between risk management and organizational culture, the realization of which requires a paradigm shift in overarching project management systems.

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