Human Factor on Construction Safety

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1181

Special Issue Editors

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Katy Academic Building, 22400 Grand Circle Blvd., Suite 307, Katy, TX 77449, USA
Interests: construction project management; resilience of infrastructure systems; artificial intelligence in construction; interface management in construction; sustainability in construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management, Marketing and General Business, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77705, USA
Interests: management to organizations; business computer applications; marketing management; international business; managerial leadership; seminars in research; economics of transportation; strategic management; maritime supply chain management; production operations and logistics management; personnel management; supply chain management; global logistics

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Katy Academic Building, 22400 Grand Circle Blvd., Suite 307, Katy, TX 77449, USA
Interests: probabilistic seismic hazard analysis; soil–pipe interaction; seismic behavior of retaining walls; wellbore stability; computational geomechanics; ground subsidence due to underground mining

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Katy Academic Building, 22400 Grand Circle Blvd., Suite 307, Katy, TX 77449, USA
Interests: large-scale experimental and computational simulation of material/structural failure; condition assessment of civil infrastructure; design and construction of hazard resilient infrastructure systems using high-performance materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue addresses the critical role of human factors in enhancing safety on construction sites, where the use of cranes, scaffolding, and heavy machinery presents significant risks. Research shows that human error is a leading cause of workplace accidents, accounting for up to 90% of serious incidents, as noted by the National Safety Council. Key human factors influencing construction safety include safety code violations, where expediency may lead workers and managers to bypass necessary regulations. Additionally, while technological advancements have mitigated some risks, miscalculations continue to result in severe structural issues. Inadequate training further compounds these challenges, leaving personnel unprepared to operate complex machinery safely. Oversights and lapses in judgment, often dismissed as minor errors, can lead to catastrophic outcomes, such as premature load releases that threaten the safety of others. The responsibility for ensuring a safe work environment lies with construction site owners and managers. Ignoring these human factors not only endangers workers but also exposes stakeholders to legal liabilities. Therefore, a thorough examination of these issues is essential for developing effective safety protocols and reducing accidents within the construction industry, which furtheer highlights the importance of this Special Issue.

Dr. Mahdi Safa
Dr. Kelly Weeks
Dr. Siavash Zamiran
Prof. Dr. Yuntian Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human factors
  • construction safety
  • accidents
  • human error
  • training
  • compliance and legal liability
  • risk management

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

53 pages, 11836 KiB  
Review
Analysis of Cognitive Biases in Construction Health and Safety in New Zealand
by Mahesh Babu Purushothaman, Pricilia Jessica and Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi
Buildings 2025, 15(7), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15071033 - 24 Mar 2025
Viewed by 950
Abstract
The construction industry’s complexity and high-risk nature present significant decision-making challenges, often resulting in errors that jeopardise health and safety performance. Cognitive biases can further distort risk assessments and influence decision-making, ultimately affecting safety behaviours and outcomes. Although numerous studies have explored cognitive [...] Read more.
The construction industry’s complexity and high-risk nature present significant decision-making challenges, often resulting in errors that jeopardise health and safety performance. Cognitive biases can further distort risk assessments and influence decision-making, ultimately affecting safety behaviours and outcomes. Although numerous studies have explored cognitive biases in construction, there remains a lack of a comprehensive understanding regarding how these biases interact with key decision factors related to health and safety. This study aimed to advance sustainable health and safety practices within the construction industry by examining the consequences and interplay of cognitive biases and essential decision factors through a systematic literature review. Two hundred and eighty-three articles published between 2018 and 2024 were analysed, with forty-five selected for inclusion. The network analysis findings identify key decision factors, reinforcing loops, and critical paths that affect health and safety performance, illustrating how cognitive biases influence risk perception, decision complexity, and workplace safety behaviours. The insights gained from this study highlight the challenges and the potential for improvement. They serve as a foundation for researchers, construction safety professionals, and policymakers to develop targeted interventions that mitigate cognitive biases, enhance risk perception, and strengthen decision-making frameworks, ultimately improving health and safety performance in the construction sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Factor on Construction Safety)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop