Applying psychology research to reducing risk in the construction industry

Can you tell us a bit about the Safety Voice Project, and what the aims are?

The Safety Voice Project is a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Leeds Beckett University and Aggregate Industries. The project aims to investigate the safety behaviours of heavy mobile plant drivers operating within the organisation. Heavy mobile plant consists of large machinery vehicles, including dumper trucks, loading shovels and excavators. We aim to investigate antecedents - what is happening before an event or situation - of safety performance, and uncover the enablers and barriers for behaving safely, with the ultimate goal of reducing workplace transport-related incidents.

What has been achieved so far in the project?

In the first year of the project, we have completed two mini studies. The first study involved distributing a questionnaire to the heavy mobile equipment (HME) drivers and completing statistical analysis on the data to research a variety of safety concepts and the relationships that exist between them.

The second study involved conducting interviews with the drivers and completing Thematic Analysis to uncover important themes and underlying issues, opinions, attitudes and beliefs. The first year of the project has also involved immersing myself into health and safety psychology, familiarising myself with a leading industrial organisation, marketing the project to various stakeholders and presenting findings to the likes of board members and at an international conference.

What have been some of the key findings from your research so far?

The quantitative study highlighted the importance of Safety Climate in influencing key safety performance indicators, which aligns with the existing literature for similar industries. It also demonstrated various other interesting correlations between different variables, such as situational and routine violations, safety citizenship behaviour, and a variety of contextual target behaviours related to the operation of mobile plant.

From the qualitative study emerged some interesting themes which the drivers appear to be concerned with. These include concepts like time and production pressure, interactions with other drivers, mental health and well-being, and the monotony of mirror checking.

What are the next stages of the project and how will you use the findings from the interviews and questionnaire?

The next stages of the project consist of further, more complex analysis of the existing data. For the questionnaire data, we are currently in the process of conducting regression analyses to investigate the predictive nature of the various safety concepts. For the interview data, we plan to run further thematic analysis but making comparisons between groups, such as comparing themes for those who have experienced incidents and those who have not, or comparing themes between drivers with different years of experience.

These findings will inform the next steps of the project as they will help us to narrow the focus onto the most salient issues and identify any additional gaps that would be useful to explore.

What attracted you to apply for the KTP?

I always enjoyed the research aspect of studying psychology whilst at university, and it was something I did well in. This KTP felt like a great opportunity to not only step back into academia, but to engage with something that has practical applications and tangible results.

After reading into the company, Aggregate Industries felt like the ideal business to engage in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership as they are a leading organisation within the industry in regards to health and safety management, yet sought to go beyond their existing systems and strategies to further enhance staff safety and well-being.

I also understood that a KTP can be a great stepping-stone into other roles once the project is complete, and provides a great deal of opportunities to enhance your career path. One example is the personal development budget you are provided, which I have personally used to complete official qualifications to enhance my CV and open up doors in my future. I have also begun my second Masters qualification - a Masters by Research (MRes) - which is fully funded by Leeds Beckett.

Can you tell us a bit about your career background?

Whilst completing my MSc at university, I worked in a special educational needs school for blind, autistic children. After leaving university, I worked as a mental health support worker on an acute psychiatric ward. After these two roles, I decided I no longer wanted an educational or clinical role, but had more of an interest in occupational and organisational psychology.

Therefore, my next role involved completing assessments for employees with disabilities and making recommendations for reasonable adjustments or equipment needed to enable them to do their jobs more easily; I also provided one-to-one coping strategy sessions to help employees with neurodiversity to do their jobs more efficiently and under less stress. From here, I found the KTP.

How has the experience of being a KTP Associate been so far?

So far, I have very much enjoyed being a KTP Associate. I feel I have come a long way in a short space of time, and have overcome challenges I previously would have considered beyond my capabilities. Above all, I enjoy the flexibility and autonomy I have been provided, although this does not come without its challenges. The role consists of a lot of self-directed learning and development, and it requires a great deal of discipline and self-determination.

With that being said, you are offered an incredible amount of support and you have access to so many resources and opportunities to enhance your learning. A KTP associate sits in a perfect sweet-spot where you can receive support and development opportunities from both a university and a host organisation, this time can provide you with so much and is a rare and wonderful opportunity.

What have been some of the highlights so far?

Being able to present my research at an international conference in Poland in May 2023 has been a highlight. Although this was definitely anxiety-provoking, I am so pleased I did it and felt a great sense of pride in the accomplishment. I learnt a lot at the event and it served as a good networking opportunity for my current project, and should I wish to continue with research after the project is complete.

Another highlight is the amount of travel I have gotten to do around the UK. Aggregate Industries are a large organisation, with many different sites. It has been an enjoyable experience driving to different sites to see how they operate, talk with the employees with the boots on the ground, and explore new cities with any spare time (and staying in nice hotels hasn’t been too bad either!)

What are you most looking forward to achieving with the KTP?

For the next year of the project, I wish to adopt some alternative methodologies for data collection. I plan to explore the potential of using physiological measures, such as measuring drivers’ sleep, attention and heart rate variability. If I am able to implement these methods successfully, this will provide the project with valuable data and the potential for a KTP award.

The thing I am most looking forward to is handing over the final outcomes for the project: a toolkit which will consist of Psychological/Physiological/Behavioural methodology for future data collection (including personnel selection and performance monitoring), embedded tools for safety behaviour identification and behaviour change intervention design and a fully validated Safety Climate Scale for Aggregate Industries to own and to use.

If I am to stay on with Aggregate Industries after the project is complete, I expect this kind of research has only just begun, as they understand and appreciate the value of psychological research and implementing data-driven interventions.