Adaptive selection and behavioural conditioning framework for the attitudinal change of construction workers towards the use of safety helmets and goggles

Construction workers are constantly faced with several hazards due to the nature of their work environment. Head traumas and eye injuries on construction sites are of great concern to industry stakeholders in the efforts to improve health and safety performance of the construction industry. Like most PPE, Safety helmets and goggles are a statutory requirement in most countries to protect the head and face regions which are the most vulnerable in the event of an accident. Safety helmets protect the head against the impact of lateral objects or the impact of falling objects on construction sites. Similarly, safety goggles protect the eyes and the face region from severe injury from flying particles and or other hazards encountered during construction work when used appropriately. Despite their importance, construction workers are reluctant to use safety helmets and goggles due to several discomforts experienced and thus are continuously faced with exposure to several hazards at the workplace. While using these PPE may prevent injury and or fatalities on the construction site, providing workers with poor fitting PPE may introduce other forms of strain that may contribute to avoidable incidents on site. This research employed a combination of adaptive selection and behavioural conditioning principles to remedy the discomforts associated with safety helmets and goggles to improve their use on construction sites. A preliminary investigation was initially conducted through the personal administration of questionnaires to one hundred and twenty-three (123) construction operatives to find out why construction workers do not use given PPE. Data for the main study was obtained through semi-structured interviews and a physiological strain field experiment (using physiological indicators of heart rates and body temperatures) involving sixteen (16) male construction workers, a comparative analysis of linear anthropometric head and face measurements of one hundred and twenty-seven (127) male construction workers and dimensions of construction helmets and goggles available in Ghana within a multiple case study. A questionnaire survey of seventy – four (74) large construction firms in the country was also conducted to identify selection considerations made in the procurement of helmets and goggles. A content analysis on interviewee data indicated that hotness and poor fit are the top two discomforts associated with safety helmets while blurred vision and poor fit are prevalent among safety goggle users. Workers were found to experience little or no physiological strain while using uncomfortable safety helmets in hot weather, when values of physiological indicators were entered into a physiological strain equation and interpreted on a universal scale. A two-sampled T-Test indicated statistically significant differences between helmet and head dimensions, as well as safety goggles and face measurements. Descriptive analysis of the likert data indicated that construction firms consider several factors aimed at ensuring the procurement of comfortable safety helmets and goggles. The study recommends a behaviour-based framework with a three – tier intervention plan, that combines a selection criteria consisting of anthropometric characteristics, ambient temperature, consideration of standards (aimed at improving the comfort experience of users), with activities such as user- involvement in the procurement process, safety inductions with audio-visuals, participatory toolbox meetings and selection of safety champions to stimulate the preferred behaviour of appropriate use of the PPEs. The conditioning theory is then applied in Tier three of the framework to maintain the acceptable behaviour. The proposed framework is intended to ensure the procurement of comfortable safety helmets and goggles for construction work and simultaneously improve the attitude of workers towards these PPE.

Source: KNUST