A Study on Unsafe Behaviors of Construction Workers Based on Personality Trait Theory

The construction industry faces severe safety challenges with over 80% of accidents stemming from unsafe behaviors, yet traditional management overlooks the role of individual differences, and existing research fails to address the specific psychological mechanisms operative in this high-risk, dynamic environment. To effectively curtail unsafe behaviors in such high-risk environments, this study aims to reveal the underlying mechanisms through which personality traits influence unsafe behaviors. Grounded in causal chain theory, the theory of planned behavior, and trait activation theory, this study constructs a hypothetical model of personality traits and unsafe behaviors, with fluke mentality serving as a mediating variable and safety climate as a moderating variable. A comprehensive approach combining questionnaire surveys, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation tests, and linear regression was employed to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that neuroticism, openness, and extraversion have significant positive effects on unsafe behaviors, while conscientiousness has a significant negative effect; agreeableness shows no significant influence. Fluke mentality plays a partial mediating role between personality traits and unsafe behaviors, while safety climate plays a negative moderating role. By clarifying the cognitive pathways of individual differences, this study enriches the theoretical framework of unsafe behavior research. The findings provide a theoretical basis for construction enterprises to optimize safety management from the perspective of individual differences, offering practical pathways to promote high-quality development in the construction industry.