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. 2018 Oct 15;15(10):2250.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph15102250.

The Risk-Taking Propensity of Construction Workers-An Application of Quasi-Expert Interview

Banus Kam Leung Low  1 , Siu Shing Man  2 , Alan Hoi Shou Chan  3
Affiliations

The Risk-Taking Propensity of Construction Workers-An Application of Quasi-Expert Interview

Banus Kam Leung Low et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

High accident rates have been a complicated and persistent problem in the Hong Kong construction industry. This situation has stimulated this investigation into factors that influence the risk-taking propensity of construction workers. However, interviewing workers who had a bad experience is problematic because changes in attitude and perception may occur as a result of such an experience. Using quasi-expert interviews can reduce this problem. The objective of this study was to identify factors that influence the risk-taking propensity of construction workers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 safety professionals all with accident inspection experience and six super-safe workers with no incident record for the past five years. Seven factors that affect the risk-taking propensity of construction workers were successfully identified. Each factor is thoughtfully discussed, and this study shows that quasi-expert interview is a pragmatic approach for deepening the understanding of risk-taking propensity among construction workers. Findings of this study will hopefully help and encourage further quantitative research on the risk-taking propensity of construction workers with different perspectives.

Keywords: construction safety; individual factor; organisational factor; quasi-expert interview; risk-taking propensity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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