Perception of risk in construction. Exploring the factors that influence experts in occupational health and safety.

Abstract

Risk perception is studied in many research disciplines. Although many of the factors that influence the perception of risk in the field of occupational risk prevention are known, there is still no complete understanding of the ways in which professionals in this sector perceive risks. This study analyzes the incidence of sociodemographic variables (gender, age, university degree, seniority of the qualification and professional experience) in the perception of the probability and consequences of accident risk of a group of Construction Safety and Health Experts. Additionally, the incidence of these variables has been evaluated in various stages of a construction. On the basis of a questionnaire survey of 30 construction processes, and applying a linear multilevel regression model, statistically significant differences in perceived risk were obtained depending on the age of the Construction Safety Experts, while it was determined that there is no significant difference in the perception of risk between men and women in this professional sector. Greater discrepancies were found when evaluating the overall risk of construction activities in the early stages of a construction site. Nevertheless, in spite of the sociodemographic differences between Construction Safety Experts, we conclude that their risk assessments are highly coherent.