Factors Affecting Safety Work Behavior of Workers in Building Construction Projects: A Case Study of Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City

Abstract

Worker safety behaviour is a critical determinant of occupational accident rates in the construction industry, particularly in developing countries where informal work practices dominate. In Nepal, private building construction projects are expanding rapidly in urban areas, yet empirical evidence on the behavioural and organizational drivers of construction safety remains limited. This study investigates the personal and organizational factors influencing worker safety behaviour in private building construction projects in Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City.
A quantitative cross-sectional research design was adopted using a structured questionnaire survey administered to 95 respondents, including construction workers and professionals involved in medium-scale private building projects. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha for reliability testing, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for factor grouping, Relative Importance Index (RII) for prioritization, and Multiple Linear Regression for model validation using SPSS.
The results indicate that personal factors explain 60.3% (R² = 0.603) of the variance in worker safety behaviour, with safety awareness and worker attitude emerging as the strongest predictors. Organizational factors explain 66.4% (R² = 0.664) of the variance, where safety management practices and leadership commitment show significant positive influence, while safety inspection and incentive-based measures were statistically insignificant. The findings highlight a dominance of compliance-driven safety rather than a proactive safety culture.
The study provides evidence-based insights for local authorities and contractors to strengthen behavioural safety interventions and organizational commitment in private building construction projects. This study represents one of the first empirical attempts to develop and validate behavioural safety models for private building construction projects in Nepal’s urban context.