Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of Korea
Background: Since the Republic of Korea became a labor-force-importing country, the number of foreign workers has increased gradually, especially in the construction industry. The main objective of this study was to examine the differences in safety perception between domestic and foreign workers at...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2018-03-01
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| Series: | Safety and Health at Work |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791117300550 |
| _version_ | 1797719643843985408 |
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| author | Serdar Korkmaz Dal Jae Park |
| author_facet | Serdar Korkmaz Dal Jae Park |
| author_sort | Serdar Korkmaz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Since the Republic of Korea became a labor-force-importing country, the number of foreign workers has increased gradually, especially in the construction industry. The main objective of this study was to examine the differences in safety perception between domestic and foreign workers at Korean construction sites. Methods: A total of 891 Korean and foreign workers were surveyed: 140 foreign and 751 Korean workers. The general characteristics and 25 factors influencing safety perception were considered in the questionnaire. Regression and correlation analyses were conducted to examine the variables of workers' safety perception. Results: Differences of nationality (F = 7.379, p < 0.001) and workplace accidents were statistically significant for both domestic (F = 1.503, p < 0.05) and foreign workers (F = 7.868, p < 0.05). In contrast, age, education, and Korean language level were significant variables only for foreign workers. Correlation coefficients of 0.428** for Korean and 0.148 for foreign workers between two items – namely, “management's commitment to safety” and “blaming staff when they make mistakes” – support the conclusion that foreign workers do not trust management's commitment to safety, while Korean workers have confidence in these commitments. Conclusion: Foreign workers' level of safety perception should rise to the same level as Korean workers, especially in terms of obeying safety rules, safety education performance, and safety beliefs. Therefore, an improvement plan for the Korean construction industry is suggested in order to have a better safety level at construction sites with foreign workers. Keywords: construction, foreign workers, Korean workers, safety perception |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T09:08:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8bcb891cad4b4aeba64de9e336a13f28 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2093-7911 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T09:08:04Z |
| publishDate | 2018-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Safety and Health at Work |
| spelling | doaj.art-8bcb891cad4b4aeba64de9e336a13f282023-09-02T15:10:43ZengElsevierSafety and Health at Work2093-79112018-03-01915358Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of KoreaSerdar Korkmaz0Dal Jae Park1Department of Energy Safety Engineering, Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Safety Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author. Department of Safety Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 018811, Republic of Korea.Background: Since the Republic of Korea became a labor-force-importing country, the number of foreign workers has increased gradually, especially in the construction industry. The main objective of this study was to examine the differences in safety perception between domestic and foreign workers at Korean construction sites. Methods: A total of 891 Korean and foreign workers were surveyed: 140 foreign and 751 Korean workers. The general characteristics and 25 factors influencing safety perception were considered in the questionnaire. Regression and correlation analyses were conducted to examine the variables of workers' safety perception. Results: Differences of nationality (F = 7.379, p < 0.001) and workplace accidents were statistically significant for both domestic (F = 1.503, p < 0.05) and foreign workers (F = 7.868, p < 0.05). In contrast, age, education, and Korean language level were significant variables only for foreign workers. Correlation coefficients of 0.428** for Korean and 0.148 for foreign workers between two items – namely, “management's commitment to safety” and “blaming staff when they make mistakes” – support the conclusion that foreign workers do not trust management's commitment to safety, while Korean workers have confidence in these commitments. Conclusion: Foreign workers' level of safety perception should rise to the same level as Korean workers, especially in terms of obeying safety rules, safety education performance, and safety beliefs. Therefore, an improvement plan for the Korean construction industry is suggested in order to have a better safety level at construction sites with foreign workers. Keywords: construction, foreign workers, Korean workers, safety perceptionhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791117300550 |
| spellingShingle | Serdar Korkmaz Dal Jae Park Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of Korea Safety and Health at Work |
| title | Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of Korea |
| title_full | Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of Korea |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of Korea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of Korea |
| title_short | Comparison of Safety Perception between Foreign and Local Workers in the Construction Industry in Republic of Korea |
| title_sort | comparison of safety perception between foreign and local workers in the construction industry in republic of korea |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791117300550 |
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