Role of safety supervision, coworker support and safety training in shaping the safety behaviour of construction workers

Construction workers’ safety behaviour is essential to overall construction safety performance. This study combined the theory of planned behaviour with safety supervision, coworker support and safety training to develop a theoretical model for understanding construction workers’ safety behaviour. Data collected from a questionnaire survey of 406 Hong Kong construction workers were used for the evaluation of the theoretical model using structural equation modelling. Safety supervision, coworker support and safety training can significantly positively affect attitudes towards behaviour (p < 0.05), subjective norms (p < 0.05) and perceived behavioural control (p < 0.05). Although safety supervision and safety training do not directly influence behavioural intention (p > 0.05), they exert significant indirect effects on behavioural intention with the mediation of attitudes towards behaviour (p < 0.05), subjective norms (p < 0.05) and perceived behavioural control (p < 0.05). In contrast, coworker support directly enhances behavioural intention (β = 0.151, p = 0.015) and has a strong indirect effect on behavioural intention via subjective norms (p < 0.05). Moreover, behavioural intention significantly positively influences construction workers’ safety compliance (β = 0.742, p < 0.001) and safety participation (β = 0.766, p < 0.001). These findings offered valuable insights into construction workers’ safety behaviour. The insights can be helpful for developing targeted safety policies, interventions and training programs to enhance construction workers’ safety behaviour.