Framework to Improve the Attitudes of Construction Workers towards Safety Helmets
Main Article Content
Abstract
Construction workers in various studies across the globe have indicated that there is some discomfort with the use of safety helmets, and that some workers do not use safety helmets as required, resulting in a compromise to their health and safety protection. This study investigates the processes involved in the selection and procurement of safety helmets for construction workers and assesses these efforts by interrogating the discomforts experienced by users in spite of these selection considerations. The study focuses on safety helmets used by construction workers, as this is a common form of personal protective equipment (PPE) usually given out on construction sites to prevent head injuries, which are among the severest forms of occupational accidents in the industry. Primary data were obtained through a questionnaire survey conducted with construction firms operating in Ghana and semi-structured interviews with construction workers. The findings from the study indicate that in spite of the purported considerations by construction firms in the selection and procurement of PPE, construction workers continually experience several discomforts with the use of safety helmets. The study proposes a Behaviour-Based Safety Intervention Framework to guide the selection and procurement of user-friendly PPE that improves the user experience of safety helmets.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Abeysekera, J., Holmér, I., LIU, X., Gao, C. and Wu, Z. (1996). Some design recommendations to improve comfort in helmets: A case study from China. Journal of Human Ergology, 25(2): 145–154.
Abeysekera, J.D.A. and Shahnavaz, H. (1988). Ergonomics aspects of personal protective equipment: Its use in industrially developing countries. Journal of Human Ergology, 17(1): 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-6870(88)90102-0.
Adade-Boateng, A.O., Fugar, F.D.K. and Adinyira, E. (2018). Investigating physiological strain as a result of safety helmet use and exposure to ambient heat on construction sites.
In T.A. Saurin, D.B. Costa, M. Behm and F. Emuze (eds.), Proceedings of Joint CIB W099 and TG59 International Safety, Health, and People in Construction Conference. Salvador, Brazil: Marketing Aumentado, 249–256.
. (2016). Factors that affect the use of personal protective equipment on Ghanaian construction sites. In Proceedings of ARCOM Doctoral Workshop on Sustainable Infrastructural Delivery for Economic Growth in Africa. Reading, UK: Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 101– 112.
Alwin, D.F. (2007). Margins of Error: A Study of Reliability in Survey Measurement. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470146316.
Bowden, A., Fox-Rushby, J.A., Nyandieka, L. and Wanjau, J. (2002). Methods for pre-testing and piloting survey questions: Illustrations from the KENQOL survey of health-related quality of life. Health Policy and Planning, 17(3): 322–330. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/17.3.322.
Choudhry, R.M. (2014). Behavior-based safety on construction sites: A case study. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 70: 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2014.03.007.
Choudhry, R.M. (2012). Implementation of BBS and the impact of site-level commitment. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 138(4): 296–304. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)ei.1943-5541.0000111.
Choudhry, R.M. and Fang, D.P. (2008). Why operatives engage in unsafe work behavior: Investigating factors on construction sites. Safety Science, 46(4): 566–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2007.06.027.
Davis, G.A., Edmisten, E.D., Thomas, R.E., Rummer, R.B. and Pascoe, D.D. (2001). Effects of ventilated safety helmets in a hot environment. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 27(5): 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0169-8141(00)00059-7.
DeCastellarnau, A. (2018). A classification of response scale characteristics that affect data quality: A literature review. Quality and Quantity, 52(4): 1523– 1559. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-017-0533-4.
Gotshall, R., Dahl, D. and Marcus, N. (2001). Evaluation of a physiological strain index for use during intermittent exercise in the heat. Evaluation, 4(3): 2–9. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200105001-00910.
Gupta, D. (2014). Anthropometry and the design and production of apparel: An overview. In D. Gupta and N. Zakaria (eds.), Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design. Sawston, UK: Woodhead Publishing Limited, 34–66. https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857096890.1.34.
Hancock, P.A. and Warm, J.S. (1989). A dynamic model of stress and sustained attention. Human Factors, 31(5): 519–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872088903100503.
Hasanzadeh, S., de la Garza, J.M. and Geller, E.S. (2020). Latent effect of safety interventions. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 146(5): 04020033. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001812.
Holmér, I. (2006). Protective clothing in hot environments. Industrial Health, 44(3): 404–413. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.44.404.
Hsu, Y.L., Tai, C.Y. and Chen, T.C. (2000). Improving thermal properties of industrial safety helmets. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 26(1): 109–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0169-8141(99)00058-x.
Kjellstrom, T., Holmer, I. and Lemke, B. (2009). Workplace heat stress, health and productivity: An increasing challenge for low and middle-income countries during climate change. Global Health Action, 2(1): 2047. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v2i0.2047.
Lees, H. and Austin, J. (2011). The case for behaviour-based safety in construction. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law, 164(1): 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1680/mpal900074.
Li, Y. (2001). The science of clothing comfort. Textile Progress, 31(1–2): 1–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405160108688951.
Manu, P., Gibb, A., Manu, E., Bell, N. and Allen, C. (2017). Briefing: The role of human values in behavioural safety. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law, 170(2): 49–51. https://doi.org/10.1680/jmapl.16.00047
Manu, P., Mahamadu, A.-M., Hadikusumo, B., Leungbootnak, N., Gibb, A. and Bell, N. (2017). Can personal values help to manage workers' occupational safety and health behaviour? Procedia Engineering, 196: 911–918. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.08.024.
McLeod, S. (2018). What is operant conditioning and how does it work? Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html.
McPherson, D. (2008). Balancing PPE protection with comfort, fit and style. Professional Safety, 53(3): 50–52.
Salem, O., Lothlikar, H., Genaidy, A. and Abdelhamid, T. (2007). A behaviour based safety approach for construction projects. In C.L. Pasquire and P. Tzortzopoulos (eds.), 15th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction. East Lansing, MI: IGLC, 261–270.
Slater, K. (1985). Human Comfort. Vol. 1. Springfield, IL: CC Thomas.
Smith, J. and Throop, W. (2006). The Effect of Color on Temperatures inside Hardhats. Available at: https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm06512312/index.htm [Accessed on 30 August 2019].
Tuncel, S., Lotlikar, H., Salem, S. and Daraiseh, N. (2006). Effectiveness of behaviour based safety interventions to reduce accidents and injuries in workplaces: Critical appraisal and meta-analysis. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 7(3): 191–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/14639220500090273
Ueno, S. and Sawada, S.I. (2019). Effects of ventilation openings in industrial safety helmets on evaporative heat dissipation. Journal of Occupational Health, 61(2): 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1002/1348-9585.12024.
Vigneswaran, G. and Arulmurugan, L. (2014). Improving thermal comfort in industrial safety helmet using phase change material. International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Technology Research, 3: 712–715.