Amelia D. Saul, Syed M. Ahmed, and Mostafa Namian
East Carolina University,
Greenville, North Carolina
Construction and engineering careers place an emphasis on safety training. Although this knowledge is crucial to succeeding in one’s field there is a lack of awareness with regards to the principle of safety culture. Within a psychological context, workers in a particular setting look towards others for social cues, and there are underlying social principles that determine whether social cues will be internalized, acted on, or ignored. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide an approach to advise trainers on underlying safety principles. The goal is for learners to internalize and act upon safe behaviors in the work environment. A pilot study was conducted interviewing four OSHA-authorized construction safety trainers. The participants were provided with a vignette activity and asked their opinion and experience. After the activity was complete, the participants rated their experience and provided suggestions for improvements. The vignettes were highly rated by the trainers and they suggested including additional vignettes, having the activity applied in various versions (group vs individual) as well as doing an at-home activity. Future research will work on improving safety behavior to be included in additional safety training.
Key Words: Construction Safety, Safety Culture, Social Atmosphere, Safety Education, Pedagogical Construction Education