Exploring the Impact of Altruistic Leadership on Construction Workers’ Proactive Safety Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model of Psychological Empowerment and Perceived Organizational Support

The proactive safety behavior of construction workers is crucial for accident prevention. This study examines the mechanism through which altruistic leadership influences such behavior, proposing a theoretical model grounded in social exchange theory, self-determination theory, and situational strength theory. The model positions psychological empowerment as a mediator and perceived organizational support as a moderator. Hypotheses were tested using survey data from 718 construction workers in China. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), complemented by a multi-group analysis based on the workers’ age and weekly working hours. The results show that altruistic leadership significantly enhances proactive safety behavior. Psychological empowerment partially mediates this relationship, while perceived organizational support positively moderates the link between psychological empowerment and proactive safety behavior. Furthermore, the positive effect of altruistic leadership was more substantial among older workers and those with longer weekly working hours. In contrast, the mediating role of psychological empowerment was more pronounced among younger workers. These findings reveal the dual influence of internal psychological mechanisms and external contextual factors in the relationship between altruistic leadership and proactive safety behavior. This study helps managers foster safety proactivity by promoting altruistic leadership and supportive organizational environments.