Influence of technical skill on safety task implementation and safety climate development in construction

One of the essential skills needed by project personnel to manage construction safety is technical skill, which may consist of scheduling, budgeting, quality management, document management, risk management, and procurement management skills. This research aims to investigate how technical skill may influence safety performance. Quantitative data (N=273) were collected and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) technique. It was found that document management and risk management skills positively influence the implementation of safety tasks, which in turn, promotes safety climate development. Budgeting skill also positively impacts the development of safety climate. The findings demonstrate the importance of technical skill of project personnel in managing construction safety. The findings also indicate that the implementation of safety tasks is essential for developing safety climate, thus construction companies should consider to include these tasks into their safety management program. It is also suggested that construction companies should incorporate relevant safety aspects into their technical skill development programs, thus project personnel can use their technical skill to improve the levels of safety task implementation and safety climate development.