Influence of safety leadership styles on reducing accidents in construction projects

This research investigates the role of safety leadership styles in reducing accident rates in construction projects. The impact of these leadership styles is examined through their capacity to enhance the effectiveness of various safety management approaches, including safety laws and regulations (leading indicators), human reliability management, and site safety risk management. A literature review identified four common safety leadership styles rooted in transformational and transactional frameworks. The application status of these styles was examined through a questionnaire administered across 78 construction projects in Iran. Descriptive analysis demonstrated that safety managers apply a combination of safety leadership styles rather than relying on a single approach. Regression analyses indicated that increased application of safety leadership styles significantly enhances the effectiveness of all three safety management approaches. In addition, Poisson regression analysis indicated that greater application of safety leadership styles is exponentially associated with a reduction in accident rates. This study extends the current body of knowledge by quantitatively analyzing the direct relationship between safety leadership styles and reduction in accident rate. The findings highlight the need to develop safety leadership competencies among safety managers to increase the effectiveness of safety management approaches and promote safer construction project environments.