Safety Leadership: A Catalyst for Positive Safety Climate on Construction Sites

Limited research exists on safety leadership and safety climate in developing countries, despite their established importance in the construction industry. This study addresses this gap by investigating how immediate superiors’ safety leadership behaviours influence safety climate perceptions among construction professionals in southern India. Using a quantitative approach, the study collected valid questionnaire surveys among 279 construction professionals by convenience sampling across various construction sites. The survey revealed that safety leadership significantly and positively predicts five key safety climate factors: management’s commitment to safety, safety equipment and procedures, safety training, communication and openness, and group dynamics and safety culture. These findings highlight the critical role immediate superiors play in shaping safety climate perceptions through their commitment, communication, and employee involvement. This research underscores the importance of investing in safety leadership development to improve safety outcomes, reduce accidents and injuries, and enhance regulatory compliance within the Indian construction industry.

This creative work has been published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) license which allows copying, and redistribution as well as adaptation of the original work provided appropriate credit is given to the original author and the conditions of the license are met.