Ego depletion and construction workers’ unsafe behavior: the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating role of safety habit

Construction workers' unsafe behavior is one of the main causes of site accidents. The relationship and underlying mechanism between ego depletion and unsafe behavior are still unclear. To address this gap, this study proposed a framework which hypothesizes the mediating effect of self-efficacy and the moderating effect of safety habit on the relationship between ego depletion and unsafe behavior. The hypothetical framework was examined using structural equation modeling with questionnaire data collected from 318 Chinese construction workers. The results demonstrated that ego depletion was positively related to construction workers' unsafe behavior; self-efficacy mediated the relationship between ego depletion and workers' unsafe behavior; and safety habit moderated the relationship between ego depletion and workers' unsafe behavior. This research contributes to the study of the mechanisms underlying the role of ego depletion on unsafe behavior and the development of theory and has implications for future workplace interventions.