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PPE - Hong Kong Construction Worker - Planned Behaviour
PPE - Hong Kong Construction Worker - Planned Behaviour
PPE - Hong Kong Construction Worker - Planned Behaviour
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history: Introduction: The phenomenon that construction workers do not use personal protective equipment (PPE)
Received 2 April 2021 is a major reason for the high occurrence frequency of accidents in the construction industry. However,
Received in revised form 24 May 2021 little efforts have been made to quantitatively examine the factors influencing construction workers’
Accepted 30 September 2021
acceptance of PPE. Method: In the current study, a PPE acceptance model for construction workers
Available online 19 October 2021
(PAMCW) was proposed to address the noted need. The PAMCW incorporates the technology acceptance
model, theory of planned behavior, risk perception, and safety climate for explaining construction worker
Keywords:
acceptance of PPE. 413 construction workers participated in this study to fill out a structured question-
Personal protective equipment
Risk perception
naire. The PAMCW was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: Results provide evidence of
Safety climate the applicability of the technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior to the PPE accep-
Theory of planned behavior tance among construction workers. The positive influence of safety climate and risk perception-
Technology acceptance model severity on attitude toward using PPE was significant. Safety climate positively influences perceived use-
fulness. Risk perception-worry and unsafe was found to positively affect intention to use PPE. Practical
Applications: Practical suggestions for increasing construction workers’ use of PPE are also discussed.
Ó 2021 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.09.014
0022-4375/Ó 2021 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Siu Shing Man, S. Alabdulkarim, Alan Hoi Shou Chan et al. Journal of Safety Research 79 (2021) 329–340
health behavior (including environmental/contextual; value- standing how users accept a certain technology. In the technology
expectancy; and behavior change models) are applicable to self- acceptance model, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and
protective behavior of workers. Based on the review (DeJoy, attitude toward using a technology are key factors in explaining
1996), proposed an integrative framework to conceptualize the people’s technology acceptance. Specifically, an individual’s behav-
self-protective behavior as composing of four phases; namely, (a) ioral intention to use a certain technology is driven by perceived
hazard appraisal, (b) decision making, (c) initiation, and (d) adher- usefulness and attitude toward using the technology. The attitude
ence. Recently, (Smith, DeJoy, & Dyal, 2020) conducted a study to is determined by perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use.
identify factors that influence the use of PPE among firefighters. Notably, perceived usefulness is affected by perceived ease of use
The results of their study showed safety motivation was positively and external variables, whereas perceived ease of use is influenced
associated with the use of PPE. In the construction safety context; a by external variables. The technology acceptance model was gen-
qualitative study was conducted by Wong, Man, & Chan (2020) to eric, so this study modified (Davis et al., 1989)’s definitions of per-
explore the causes for construction workers to use or not to use ceived usefulness and perceived ease of use to be specific for
PPE at construction sites and found that the causes included atti- construction workers. Moreover; perceived usefulness is regarded
tude toward using PPE; risk perception, perceived ease of use, here as construction workers’ belief that using PPE can enhance
and perceived usefulness. Although the best control measures their safety performance. Meanwhile, perceived ease of use refers
include elimination, substitution, or isolation, PPE is the last line to construction workers’ belief that that using PPE is free of effort.
of defense. This study focused not only on construction workers’ A summary of previous research that used the technology accep-
behavioral controls but also on the system-level issues of tance model and ideas in safety was shown in Table 1 to justify
organizations. bringing this concept and framework across to the context of this
In the construction safety literature, several limitations were study.
identified. First, how risk perception influences the PPE acceptance The theory of planned behavior (Fig. 2) was initially developed
of construction workers has not been investigated quantitatively. by (Ajzen, 1985) for explaining general individual behaviors. In the
Second, the effect of safety climate on the PPE acceptance of con- theory of planned behavior; three important constructs, namely,
struction workers has not been studied quantitatively. Third, no attitude toward a behavior, subjective norm, and perceived behav-
studies integrated the technology acceptance model and theory ioral control, drive a behavioral intention, which in turn affects the
of planned behavior to establish a theoretical framework to behavior. The theory of planned behavior was a generic model, so
account for the PPE acceptance among construction workers. With this study modified the theory of planned behavior constructs to
the aim of filling the research gaps, the present study proposed a better fit in the construction domain. Attitude toward using PPE
PPE acceptance model for construction workers (PAMCW) that is defined as construction workers’ favorable or unfavorable evalu-
integrates the technology acceptance model and theory of planned ation on the use of PPE. The more favorable the attitude toward
behavior with risk perception and safety climate. The technology using PPE, the more likely construction workers would use PPE.
acceptance model and theory of planned behavior were selected Subjective norm is the perception of construction workers that
because they have been widely used to explain technology accep- people who are important to them think they should use PPE.
tance and human behavior in different research areas, for example, When construction workers believe that people who are significant
transportation (Larue, Rakotonirainy, Haworth, & Darvell, 2015; to them agree on using PPE, they are more likely to use them. Per-
Rowe et al., 2016) and construction safety (Choi, Hwang, & Lee, ceived behavioral control is the perception of construction workers
2017; Fogarty & Shaw, 2010). Moreover, the importance of risk that using PPE is easy or difficult. Construction workers with a
perception and safety climate in explaining construction workers’ higher level of perceived behavioral control on using PPE are more
unsafe behavior has been demonstrated in previous studies (Man likely to use PPE.
et al., 2017, 2021). On the basis of the theoretical knowledge on the technology
acceptance model and theory of planned behavior, the relation-
ships in the construction setting are examined as illustrated in
2. Literature review and research hypotheses
Figs. 1 and 2. Specifically, the following hypotheses were proposed:
H1: Perceived ease of use positively affects perceived
The following sections justify the inclusion of the specific theo-
usefulness.
ries and constructs as mentioned above. The hypotheses in this
H2: Perceived ease of use positively affects attitude toward
study will also be provided with theoretical knowledge from the
using PPE.
literature.
H3: Perceived usefulness positively affects attitude toward
using PPE.
2.1. Technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior H4: Perceived usefulness positively affects intention to use PPE.
H5: Attitude toward using PPE positively affects intention to
The technology acceptance model (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, use PPE.
1989); Fig. 1) is one of the most commonly used theories for under- H6: Subjective norm positively affects intention to use PPE.
H7: Perceived behavioral control positively affects intention to
use PPE.
H8: Intention to use PPE positively affects using PPE.
Table 1
A summary of previous research that used the technology acceptance model and ideas in safety.
and unsafe. Risk perception-probability and risk perception- Slovic and Peters (2006) suggested that ‘‘affect;” which is a
severity are construction worker judgments about the ‘‘probabil- ‘‘faint whisper of emotion,” guides people to evaluate a risk. Specif-
ity” of experiencing an injury or accident and its ‘‘severity” because ically, people who have a negative affect tend to perceive a high
of exposure to hazards, respectively. Risk perception-worry and risk. In the construction safety context, the association between
unsafe is associated with whether construction workers ‘‘worry” the perceived dread of an accident due to risk-taking behavior
about and whether they feel ‘‘unsafe” with hazardous scenarios. and the cognitive risk perception was confirmed among construc-
Risk perception-probability and risk perception-severity are con- tion dumper drivers (Bohm & Harris, 2010). Thus, the following
sidered cognitive risk perception, whereas risk perception–worry hypotheses were proposed:
and unsafe is regarded as affective risk perception. In the construc-
tion safety literature, risk perception negatively affects construc- H9: Risk perception – probability positively affects attitude
tion worker risk-taking behavior (Man, Chan, Alabdulkarim, & toward using PPE.
Zhang, 2021). In technology acceptance studies, risk perception H10: Risk perception – probability positively affects intention
has been considered an important factor that positively influences to use PPE.
attitude toward use and intention to use a technology (Huijts, H11: Risk perception – severity positively affects attitude
Molin, & Steg, 2012; Man, Xiong, Chang, & Chan, 2020; Ooi & toward using PPE.
Tan, 2016; Schierz, Schilke, & Wirtz, 2010; Yang, Liu, Li, & Yu, H12: Risk perception – severity positively affects intention to
2015). Therefore, risk perception- probability, risk perception- use PPE.
severity, and risk perception-worry and unsafe may have a positive H13: Risk perception – worry and unsafe positively affects atti-
effect on attitude toward using PPE and intention to use PPE among tude toward using PPE.
construction workers. H14: Risk perception – worry and unsafe positively affects
intention to use PPE.
H15: Risk perception – worry and unsafe positively affects risk
perception-probability.
H16: Risk perception – worry and unsafe positively affects risk
perception-severity.
(Seo, Lee, Kim, & Jee, 2015; Shin, Gwak, & Lee, 2015). According to the constructs. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude
Hu, Griffin, and Bertuleit (2016), organizational safety support pos- toward using PPE, intention to use PPE, perceived behavioral con-
itively affects the perceived usefulness of risk-awareness proce- trol, subjective norm, and using PPE were measured by four, five,
dures among miners. However, no studies have examined the four, three, three, three, and three items, respectively. These items
effect of safety climate on perceived usefulness of PPE among con- were adapted from the study of (Davis et al., 1989) and the recom-
struction workers. Fugas, Silva, and Meliá (2012) also found that mendations made by Ajzen (2006) to make the items relevant to
safety climate positively influences workers’ safety attitude in a this research context. Three dimensions of risk perception (i.e.; risk
transportation company. Pandit, Albert, Patil, and Al-Bayati perception-probability; risk perception-severity, and risk
(2019) discovered that a positive safety climate can increase con- perception-worry and unsafe) and safety climate were measured
struction workers’ risk perception. Therefore; the following using the CoWoRP Scale with 13 items (Man et al., 2019) and Lib-
hypotheses were proposed: erty Mutual Safety Climate Short Scales with eight items (Huang
et al., 2017), respectively. In the safety climate scale, four items
H17: Safety climate positively affects perceived usefulness. were used to measure organization-level safety climate and four
H18: Safety climate positively affects attitude toward using PPE. items were used to measure group-level safety climate. Table 2
H19: Safety climate positively affects risk perception- indicates the item details for all the constructs. All constructs other
probability. than risk perception were rated with a five-point Likert scale that
H20: Safety climate positively affects risk perception-severity. ranged from 1 = ‘‘totally disagree” to 5 = ‘‘totally agree.” This scale
H21: Safety climate positively affects risk perception-worry and format has been widely used in studies related to the technology
unsafe. acceptance model, theory of planned behavior, and safety climate.
The CoWoRP Scale format adopted an 11-point phrase completion
2.4. Research model scale recommended by Man et al. (2019).
Fig. 3. PAMCW to be tested in the current study. PEOU = perceived ease of use; PU = perceived usefulness; ATUP = attitude toward using PPE; SN = subjective norm;
PBC = perceived behavioral control; ITUP = intention to use PPE; RPP = risk perception – probability; RPS = risk perception – severity; RPWU = risk perception – worry and
unsafe; SC = safety climate; and UP = using PPE.
332
Table 2
in daily work.
Perceived behavioral control (PBC) In daily work, A five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = ‘‘totally
PBC1 you would be able to use PPE. disagree” to 5 = ‘‘totally agree”.
PBC2 using PPE was entirely within your control.
PBC3 you had the resources, knowledge, and ability to use PPE.
Risk perception –probability (RPP) If you experience the following work events or situations, how likely will you be to experience negative An 11-point phrase completion scale ranging from 0
consequences in your perspective? (indicating ‘‘not at all likely” to 10 (indicating
RPP1 Working on a moving route of lifting. ‘‘extremely likely”)
RPP2 Engaging in electrical works (e.g., electric arc welding) in a workplace that is affected by rainy weather.
RPP3 Using electrical equipment with damaged wires.
Risk perception – severity (RPS) If you experience the following work events or situations, how severe will the potential negative consequences be An 11-point phrase completion scale ranging from 0
in your perspective? (indicating ‘‘not at all severe” to 10 (indicating
RPS1 Working on an unstable trestle ladder. ‘‘extremely severe”)
RPS2 Working at heights with high winds.
A 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = ‘‘totally disagree” marital status, and work experience in the construction industry.
to 5 = ‘‘totally agree”.
(Anderson & Gerbing, 1988). In the first step, confirmatory factor
analysis was used to evaluate the measurement model for examin-
ing reliability and construct validity (including discriminant valid-
Scale format
4. Results
criteria of the model fit indices included v2/df < 5, TLI 0.9,
frequently reminds workers who need reminders to work safely.
CFI 0.9, SRMR < 0. 08 and RMSEA < 0.08 (Byrne, 2013). For Model
tries to continually improve safety levels in each department.
1, all items were included. The results of Model 1 showed that the
frequently discusses how to improve safety with workers.
factor loading of the items ATUP3 and ATUP4 was 0.507 and 0.674,
respectively. Because of the factor loading smaller than 0.7, the
In daily work, you always wear a pair of safety shoes.
Note: An asterisk means the item was excluded due to factor loading less than 0.7.
the model fit index values of all the three models achieved the rec-
ommended requirements and reflected acceptable construct valid-
Group-level safety climate
UP1
UP2
UP3
SC1
SC2
SC3
SC4
SC5
SC6
SC7
SC8
suggested by Fornell and Larcker (1981) was used for verifying the
measurement’s discriminant validity. This technique is the com-
parison of the square roots of the AVE of constructs and the corre-
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Siu Shing Man, S. Alabdulkarim, Alan Hoi Shou Chan et al. Journal of Safety Research 79 (2021) 329–340
Table 3 tion to use PPE positively influences using PPE. Risk perception-
Participants’ demographic information (n = 413). severity positively influences attitude toward using PPE. Risk
Description Frequency Percentage perception-worry and unsafe has significant positive influences
(%) on intention to use PPE, risk perception-probability, and risk
Age (years) 18–25 23 5.57 perception-severity. Safety climate has significant positive influ-
26–35 86 20.82 ences on perceived usefulness, attitude toward using PPE, and risk
36–45 82 19.85 perception-worry and unsafe. These results are presented in Fig. 4.
46–55 99 23.97
56–65 61 14.78
In addition, the PAMCW can explain 78.0% and 31.9% of the vari-
>65 7 1.69 ance in intention to use PPE and using PPE, respectively.
Unspecified 55 13.32
Gender Male 379 91.77 5. Discussion
Female 30 7.26
Unspecified 4 0.97
Construction workers’ non use of PPE at work may place them-
Education level No formal 18 4.36 selves and others at risk. Thus, understanding the factors that influ-
education
ence their acceptance of PPE is necessary. Accordingly, this study
Primary school 102 24.70
Lower 137 33.17 proposed the PAMCW, which integrates the technology acceptance
secondary model, theory of planned behavior, risk perception, and safety cli-
Higher 101 24.46 mate to explain the construction worker acceptance of PPE. In
secondary accordance with the collected data from 413 construction workers,
Post-secondary 44 10.65
Unspecified 11 2.66
the utility of the PAMCW for explaining construction worker
acceptance of PPE was assessed. The study results have significant
Marital status Unmarried 111 26.88
Married 266 64.41
theoretical and practical contributions.
Divorced/ 9 2.18
separated/ 5.1. Theoretical contributions
widowed
Unspecified 27 6.53
This study provides several theoretical contributions to the rel-
Work experience (years) in <1 9 2.18 evant literature. First, the applicability of the technology accep-
the construction industry 1–5 105 25.42
6–10 103 24.94
tance model and theory of planned behavior to the explanation
11–20 108 26.15 of construction worker PPE acceptance is supported. Concerning
21–30 51 12.35 the part of the technology acceptance model, the positive effects
>30 13 3.15 of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on attitude
Unspecified 24 5.81
toward using PPE are significant. Intention to use PPE is positively
Note: Unspecified means participants did not provide clear or explicit responses. affected by attitude toward using PPE and then positively influ-
ences using PPE. These results are consistent with the postulations
of the technology acceptance model (Davis et al., 1989). In other
lations among the constructs. The measurement can be confirmed words, construction workers who have high levels of perceived
to have acceptable discriminant validity if the square roots of the usefulness and perceived ease of use on PPE tend to have a favor-
AVE values are larger than the correlations among constructs. able attitude toward using PPE. Thus, they are more likely to use
Results showed that the correlations among constructs were smal- PPE. These results also provide supportive evidence for the qualita-
ler than all square roots of the AVE of constructs (Table 6), suggest- tive findings of (Wong et al., 2020); who reported that perceived
ing the measurement had acceptable discriminant validity. usefulness and perceived ease of use are important factors in con-
struction worker’s use of PPE. For the part of the theory of planned
4.2. Structural model assessment behavior, intention to use PPE is positively affected by attitude
toward using PPE, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral con-
The PAMCW was investigated using SEM. v2/df, RMSEA, SRMR, trol. This result is in line with the theory of planned behavior
TLI, and CFI were used to evaluate the PAMCW. The model fit index (Ajzen, 1991), where attitude toward a certain behavior, subjective
values satisfied the suggested requirements (Table 7). This finding norm, and perceived behavioral control are the important drivers
implies that the PAMCW can sufficiently represent the hypothe- of people’s intention to the behavior. Among the three drivers, per-
sized relationships. The results showed that 14 hypotheses were ceived behavioral control has the strongest influence on the accep-
statistically supported (Table 8). Perceived ease of use positively tance of PPE of construction workers, followed by attitude toward
influences perceived usefulness and attitude toward using PPE. using PPE and subjective norm. Similar findings are found in other
Perceived usefulness positively influences attitude toward using technology acceptance studies, such as online games (Lee & Tsai,
PPE. Attitude toward using PPE, subjective norm, and perceived 2010), Facebook (Al-Debei, Al-Lozi, & Papazafeiropoulou, 2013),
behavioral control positively influence intention to use PPE. Inten- and mobile healthcare (Wu, Li, & Fu, 2011). Choi, Ahn, and Lee
Table 4
Measurement model assessment results.
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Siu Shing Man, S. Alabdulkarim, Alan Hoi Shou Chan et al. Journal of Safety Research 79 (2021) 329–340
Table 5
Reliability and convergent validity assessment results.
Table 6
Correlations among constructs.
Note: The diagonal values are square roots of AVE; the off-diagonal values are correlations; PEOU = perceived ease of use; PU = perceived usefulness; ATUP = attitude toward
using PPE; SN = subjective norm; PBC = perceived behavioral control; ITUP = intention to use PPE; RPP = risk perception – probability; RPS = risk perception – severity;
RPWU = risk perception – worry and unsafe; SC = safety climate; UP = using PPE.
*
p < 0.05.
**
p < 0.01.
***
p < 0.001.
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Siu Shing Man, S. Alabdulkarim, Alan Hoi Shou Chan et al. Journal of Safety Research 79 (2021) 329–340
Table 7
Structural model assessment results.
Table 8
Hypothesis testing results.
(2016) previously examined the role of social norms; including Second, aside from the combination of the technology accep-
perceived management norm and perceived workgroup norm, in tance model and theory of planned behavior, three dimensions of
construction worker safety behavior. They found that workers’ risk perception (i.e., risk perception-probability, risk perception-
safety behavior is affected by perceived management norm and severity, and risk perception-worry and unsafe) were considered
perceived workgroup norm. Although the present study realized in the PAMCW to explain construction worker acceptance of PPE.
the importance of subjective norm in construction worker accep- Previous studies on the role of risk perception in people’s technol-
tance of PPE, investigating the influence of perceived management ogy acceptance failed to consider the dimensions of risk percep-
norm and perceived workgroup norm on construction worker tion. For example, (Wang, Wang, Wang, Wei, & Wang, 2018)
acceptance of PPE is still of interest in future studies. found that risk perception is an important factor in shaping con-
sumers’ intention to use ride-sharing services. However; they did
not take the dimensions of risk perception into account. One pos-
sible reason is the absence of psychometrically sound measure-
ments for assessing different dimensions of risk perception. In
the present study, the three dimensions of risk perception were
considered because of the valuable contribution made by Man
et al. (2019) in developing a reliable and valid scale for quantifying
construction worker risk perception. This study shows that risk
perception-severity and risk perception-worry and unsafe are sig-
nificant factors; whereas risk perception-probability is an insignif-
icant factor in explaining construction worker acceptance of PPE.
Risk perception-severity and risk perception-worry and unsafe
have a positive effect on attitude toward using PPE and intention
to use PPE, respectively. The insignificance of risk perception-
probability may be attributable to construction workers’ percep-
tion that construction accidents are less likely to happen to them
than to average workers (Caponecchia & Sheils, 2011). Among
Fig. 4. PAMCW assessment results where the values are standardized path the three dimensions of risk perception, construction workers’
coefficients (dotted lines indicate non-significance, whereas solid lines indicate intention to use PPE is merely affected by risk perception– worry
significance). PEOU = perceived ease of use; PU = perceived usefulness; ATUP = at- and unsafe. Construction workers who hold a high level of risk
titude toward using PPE; SN = subjective norm; PBC = perceived behavioral control;
perception-worry and unsafe tend to use PPE, demonstrating the
ITUP = intention to use PPE; RPP = risk perception – probability; RPS = risk percep-
tion – severity; RPWU = risk perception – worry and unsafe; SC = safety climate; crucial role of affective risk perception in construction workers’
and UP = using PPE. behavioral decision making. This finding is in line with the study
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Siu Shing Man, S. Alabdulkarim, Alan Hoi Shou Chan et al. Journal of Safety Research 79 (2021) 329–340
of (Man et al., 2021). They affirmed risk perception-worry and are useful in the enhancement of risk perception-worry and unsafe
unsafe negatively influences construction worker risk-taking of construction workers. Moreover, construction workers can be
behavior. However; this finding is unlikely in the cases of risk equipped with more PPE knowledge in safety training. Accordingly,
perception-probability and risk perception- severity. their perceived behavioral control on using PPE can be increased.
Third, safety climate was included in the PAMCW. Safety cli- The use of PPE among construction workers is expected to increase
mate positively affects perceived usefulness. This result is in line with a high level of risk perception-worry and unsafe and per-
with the finding of (Hu et al., 2016). They reported that organiza- ceived behavioral control.
tional safety support positively influences perceived usefulness of
the risk-awareness procedure among miners. Moreover; safety cli-
5.3. Limitations and future research opportunities
mate positively affects attitude toward using PPE and risk
perception- worry and unsafe. These findings suggest that, with
Despite the valuable contributions of this study in terms of the-
good safety climate, construction workers tend to have a high level
ory and practice, some limitations were realized. First, the data col-
of perceived usefulness, attitude toward using PPE, and risk
lection of this study was conducted using a cross-sectional survey.
perception-worry and unsafe. Although (Pandit et al., 2019) found
Thus, longitudinal studies on construction workers’ acceptance of
that safety climate can increase risk perception-probability and
PPE should be conducted to generate a comprehensive insight into
risk perception-severity of the U.S. construction workers; this
the use of PPE among construction workers in the future. A longi-
study found that safety climate positively influences risk
tudinal approach can be used to obtain evidence about how factors
perception-worry and unsafe but not risk perception-probability
affect the construction worker acceptance of PPE over time. Sec-
and risk perception-severity. The possible reason for this different
ond, this study did not collect multisource or temporally separated
conclusion may be cultural differences and the different measure-
data on actual PPE usage of construction workers. The data may
ments for quantifying risk perception and safety climate. It is inter-
provide further insights into the use of PPE among construction
esting to replicate this study in the U.S. construction industry to
workers. This limitation should be addressed in the future. Third,
verify the findings of this study. The importance of safety climate
this study considered only the general safety climate in explaining
in construction workers’ use of PPE was confirmed in this study.
the construction worker acceptance of PPE. The influence of differ-
In addition, this study was the first and successfully contributed
ent dimensions of safety climate, such as coworkers’ interaction,
the theoretical knowledge to the safety climate literature in the
workers’ involvement in safety, and safety environment (Li, Ji,
context of construction workers’ PPE acceptance.
Yuan, & Han, 2017) was not addressed in this study; this research
gap can be investigated in future studies. Fourth, data collection
5.2. Practical contributions was conducted in Hong Kong. Thus, cultural differences may lead
to non-generalizable results in other regions. The replication of this
In accordance with the present study’s findings, several practi- study should be made in various regions to examine the general-
cal recommendations are suggested to encourage construction ization of the findings. Lastly, the PAMCW can account for 78.0%
workers to use PPE and potentially decrease construction acci- and 31.9% of the variance in intention to use PPE and using PPE,
dents. First, for the technological aspect, the results show that per- respectively. This finding implies that other critical factors, such
ceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are antecedents in as safety motivation and personalities, should be considered in
driving using PPE through the mediator of attitude toward using the PAMCW. This study also did not include external variables that
PPE. Thus, both antecedents are important in overcoming the influence perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in the
impediment of construction workers using PPE. The PPE designers PAMCW due to the limited length of the questionnaire. If the
should be aware of the importance of the usefulness and ease of length of a questionnaire is excessively long, then construction
use in developing new PPE for construction workers. PPE setup, workers may be reluctant to participate in a study; this gap pro-
daily usage, and maintenance should be intuitive with clear vides future research opportunities to further investigate construc-
instructions. Before designing PPE, the needs of construction work- tion workers’ acceptance of PPE by including external variables,
ers should be thoroughly examined, which is beneficial to increase such as self-satisfaction and facilitating conditions.
the PPE usefulness and ease of use. Second, from an organizational
perspective, because of the positive influence of safety climate on
perceived usefulness, attitude toward using PPE, and risk 6. Conclusion
perception-worry and unsafe, construction companies should
improve their safety climate by organizing safety weeks in which The phenomenon that construction workers do not use PPE is a
different activities can be conducted (e.g., safety conferences, site main cause of construction accidents. However, little knowledge
visits, and safety video competitions). Concerned authorities can about the acceptance of PPE among construction workers was
hold construction safety promotional campaigns to enhance safety available in the construction safety literature. Therefore, this study
climate. With good safety climate, construction workers can have a represented the first formal attempt to empirically examine the
high level of perceived usefulness, attitude toward using PPE, and construction worker acceptance of PPE by incorporating the tech-
risk perception-worry and unsafe, which positively affect intention nology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior with
to use PPE. Lastly, from an individual perspective, this study shows safety climate and risk perception. The results support the applica-
that risk perception-worry and unsafe and perceived behavioral bility of the technology acceptance model and theory of planned
control positively influence intention to use PPE. Construction behavior in understanding the construction worker acceptance of
practitioners can provide safety training to strengthen construc- PPE. This study also emphasized the importance of safety climate
tion workers’ risk perception (Namian, Albert, Zuluaga, & Behm, and risk perception in determining attitude toward using PPE
2016). Virtual reality (VR) technology is suggested in safety train- and intention to use PPE. Given the findings of this study, construc-
ing because it can present perceptual cues that activate the emo- tion practitioners, concerned authorities, and PPE designers can be
tions of construction workers (Diemer, Alpers, Peperkorn, Shiban, in a good position to design useful safety interventions, safety poli-
& Mühlberger, 2015) and enhance safety self-efficacy (Nykänen cies, and user-friendly PPE for promoting the use of PPE among
et al., 2020). The use of VR technology in safety training can construction workers and potentially prevent construction
demonstrate the alarming consequences of not using PPE, which accidents.
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Siu Shing Man, S. Alabdulkarim, Alan Hoi Shou Chan et al. Journal of Safety Research 79 (2021) 329–340
Declaration of Competing Interest Al-Debei, M. M., Al-Lozi, E., & Papazafeiropoulou, A. (2013). Why people keep
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cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A
review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3),
to influence the work reported in this paper.
411–423.
Bohm, J., & Harris, D. (2010). Risk perception and risk-taking behavior of
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ATUP Attitude toward using PPE Psychometrika, 16(3), 297–334.
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AVE Average variance extracted climate in the UK rail industry: A cross validation of the Zohar and Luria MSC
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GDP Gross domestic product perceived safety climate in commercial construction projects. Journal of Safety
ITUP Intention to use PPE Research, 74, 279–288.
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PBC Perceived behavioral control DeJoy, D. M. (1996). Theoretical models of health behavior and workplace self-
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PPE Personal protective equipment
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SC Safety climate Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with
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v2 Chi-square Health and Safety Executive (2018). Construction statistics in Great Britain
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