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Limited research exists on safety leadership and safety climate in developing countries, despite their established importance in the construction industry. This study addresses this gap by investigating how immediate superiors' safety leadership behaviours influence safety climate perceptions among construction professionals in southern India. Using a quantitative approach, the study collected valid questionnaire surveys among 279 construction professionals by convenience sampling across various construction sites. The survey revealed that safety leadership significantly and positively predicts five key safety climate factors: management's commitment to safety, safety equipment and procedures, safety training, communication and openness, and group dynamics and safety culture. These findings highlight the critical role immediate superiors play in shaping safety climate perceptions through their commitment, communication, and employee involvement. This research underscores the importance of investing in safety leadership development to improve safety outcomes, reduce accidents and injuries, and enhance regulatory compliance within the Indian construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to identify and quantify the factors affecting quality of work life (QWL) among professionals in the Indian construction industry. The study employs a structured questionnaire, distributed to 900 construction professionals, yielding a response rate of 80.44%. The QWL construct was assessed through eight factors: career growth, management, job satisfaction, remuneration and fringe benefits, the work–family interface, emotional intelligence, work culture, and work commitment. Both descriptive and inferential analysis were carried out. The relative importance index method was used to rank these factors based on their relative importance. Work commitment (RII = 0.772) ranked as the most important factor, this was due to work commitment including significant items. The high ranking of this factor suggests that commitment to work is highly valued in the construction industry. The study also employed structural equation modelling to validate the association among these QWL factors. The findings reveal that job satisfaction (t = 0.765) and career growth (t = 0.751) play significant roles in QWL, suggesting that these factors should be prioritized to enhance QWL in the construction industry. The results of this study provide valuable insights for organizations, HR practitioners, and researchers in the construction industry, emphasizing the need to focus on job satisfaction and career growth to enhance QWL. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of QWL in the construction industry, offering valuable insights for organizations, HR practitioners, and researchers. Future research could adopt longitudinal study designs or qualitative methods to further explore the QWL among construction professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identifies safety leadership factors affecting construction site safety and organizational safety climate, offering suggestions for adopting optimistic leadership styles and a zero-accident vision. The literature review is done exclusively for identifying factors and improving core knowledge. This study developed a questionnaire to examine the relationships between the organizational safety climate and the safety leadership styles. The questionnaire was distributed to construction companies from all over India. The statistical analysis encompassed 396 verified responses from the survey, yielding an impressive 79.20 percent response rate. The valid responses collected were analysed to find the relative importance index and the association between the categorical variables. The results showed that "personal safety knowledge" ranked the highest while performing the relative importance index analysis. Furthermore, the chi-square analysis found two pessimistic leadership styles, namely "laissez-faire leadership" and "management-by-exception", significantly associated with the safety climate. The study implies that the target audience must avoid adopting the two pessimistic leadership styles to improve the organizational safety climate. This study examines the various safety leadership styles practised among construction professionals for the first time in India. Specifically, it identifies critical factors that affect the organizational safety climate and pessimistic leadership styles that diminish the safety outcomes of the construction site. The results act as an eye-opener for the targeted audience (like senior and middle-level management professionals, academicians, and upcoming researchers) to enhance the safety of construction sites by adopting optimistic leadership styles with an idea of a 'zero accident' construction premises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to explore the dynamic factors of the work–family interface (WFI) of construction professionals in South India. It also aims to develop a model of the factors that influence the WFI. This study identified seven factors from the literature: work environment, family, stress, personal satisfaction, work culture, top-level acceptance, and work–family balance. Data were collected using questionnaires distributed among the construction professionals in South India. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. The mean standard deviation and shape measures (skewness and kurtosis) revealed that personal satisfaction (3.55) was rated the top factor for WFI, followed by work–family balance (3.15), stress (2.91), and work culture (2.83). The study found that the work culture was not significantly correlated with work environment, family, stress, personal satisfaction, or top-level acceptance. The developed SEM model emphasises the need to pay keen attention to the work environment and the work–family balance among the construction professionals in India. Management should consider these factors to design standard policies to improve the WFI and design work–life balance strategies to create stability in the lives of construction professionals. The current research is limited to only two cities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in South India. More studies must be carried out for more states in India to better understand the current situation of WFI as there is limited evidence of studies on the WFI of construction professionals in India. Therefore, the findings of this study fill the existing knowledge gap and provide a clear insight into improving the mental and social well-being of construction professionals in the Indian construction industry and construction professionals in other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world, including India, especially in the construction sector. The study aims to identify, compare, and analyze the critical pandemic impacts (CPI) on construction projects in India. To achieve this, 40 interviews with industry professionals, are followed by a systematic review to identify the CPI. The data collected was used to develop a survey, sent to industry professionals all over India, with a return of 92 valid responses. The data were analyzed using reliability analysis, mean score ranking, overlap analysis, agreement analysis, and correlation analysis. The overall critical pandemic impact includes 'labor scarcity,' 'supply chain disruption,' 'decreased construction productivity,' 'increased project financing rejection rate,' and 'reduced foreign investment in the construction industry.' The findings could aid authorities and policymakers in taking suitable actions toward solving the current CPI in India. Project managers and owners could consider the current CPI in order to formulate better plans. Overcoming CPI could lead to an economic leap in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]