Risk perception and construction safety

Risk assessment is the cornerstone of modern health and safety legislation and of accepted approaches to safety management. However, based on detailed interviews with construction site managers on a mix of small- to medium-sized projects—and by drawing on existing, widely based, risk-perception research—this paper provides evidence that risk perception, as opposed to a formal risk assessment, plays a significant role in safety decision making. It also highlights marked and disturbing differences between on-site risk identification, assessment and decision-making processes and those envisaged in safety management teaching as well as current legislation.