Impact of emotional intelligence on the stress and safety of construction workers' in Saudi Arabia

doi:10.1108/ecam-06-2021-0481

Paper

Impact of emotional intelligence on the stress and safety of construction workers' in Saudi Arabia

Published Dec 27, 2021 · H. Alsulami, S. H. Serbaya, A. Rizwan

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

Q1 SJR score

13

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0

Influential Citations

Full textSemantic Scholar

Abstract

PurposeIn a country like Saudi Arabia, where the construction industry is witnessing an impressive growth in the post-oil era, it is important to examine the occupational health and safety behaviors of construction workers (CWs).Design/methodology/approachThe present study aims to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on workers' stress and safety behaviors. Data were collected from CWs (n = 265) at a major construction site in the city of Jeddah. Two questionnaires comprising 25 and 32 questions were used to measure their EI and stress levels, respectively. Furthermore, structured interviews were conducted with the managers and supervisors to inquire about the safety behavior of their respective workers. Descriptive statistics, simple and companion regression were used for data analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that EI plays an important role to enhance the safety behaviors of the CWs besides reducing their workplace stresses. Furthermore, workers' stress levels are found to negatively impact their safety behaviors, indicating that any reduction in occupational stress can reciprocally enhance their safety compliance. The findings are further discussed with the concerned stakeholders to recommend a seven-point therapeutic role of EI for the safety of CWs.Originality/valueResults of the study can be used by managers and supervisors of the Saudi construction industry to reduce workplace accidents and improve the productivity of their organizations.

Study Snapshot

Emotional intelligence (EI) positively impacts construction workers' safety behaviors and reduces workplace stress, improving overall safety compliance in Saudi Arabia's construction industry.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Paper

Impact of emotional intelligence on the stress and safety of construction workers' in Saudi Arabia

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