Developing a PLS path model to investigate the factors influencing safety performance improvement in construction organizations

This paper focused on investigating the key factors for safety improvement in construction organizations and the causal relationship among the key factors using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling approach (PLS-SEM). A hypothetical conceptual model for improving safety performance was developed based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model, which provides the framework for organizational management systems in identifying the areas of performance improvement. The conceptual model is composed of five enablers namely Leadership, People, Partnership and Resources, Policy and Strategy and Process and one Result criteria which are achieving the goals of safety performance improvement. The study has adopted questionnaire survey as the methodology to test the conceptual model. The indicators for these enablers and result criteria were extracted from the past literature and by a pilot study. Then a questionnaire was framed as per the discussion with the experts in the construction industry and distributed to clients, contractors and consultants. The results of the model suggested that leadership construct strongly influences people (path coefficient = 0.52) and process construct strongly influences the goals of attaining safety performance improvement (path coefficient = 0.68 and R-2 value = 0.457). The Global fit index of the model was found to be 0.42 which suggest that the model has good reliability and validity and fits the data very well. The findings from this study provide insight to construction professionals to focus on the implications from leadership factors and process factors to improve the safety performance within an organization.