Safety Climate Perception Gaps Across Job Roles in Multinational Construction Workforces: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-ansi-language:; EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Wael M. Alruqi

Islamic University Journal of Applied Sciences

Safety Climate Perception Gaps Across Job Roles in Multinational Construction Workforces: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Wael M. Alruqi

Keywords: Safety Climate; Construction Safety; Job Role Differences; Supervisor Safety Role; Multinational Workforce.

Major: Engineering

Sub Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering

https://doi.org/10.63070/jesc.2026.038; Received 05 April 2026; Revised 20 May 2026; Accepted 08 June 2026; Available online 15 July 2026.
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Abstract

Safety performance in construction is strongly influenced by how workers understand and respond to safety practices, particularly in complex and multicultural work environments. Although safety climate has been widely studied, limited attention has been given to how these perceptions differ across job roles in multinational construction settings. This study examines variations in safety climate perceptions across job roles within a multinational construction workforce. A survey was conducted with 256 construction workers representing different occupational groups. The study focused on key safety climate dimensions, including management commitment, supervisory practices, safety training, and individual responsibility for safety and health. Data were analyzed using reliability and validity tests, descriptive statistics, and one-way ANOVA. Overall, workers across the different occupational groups reported comparable views on several aspects of safety climate. However, differences became more noticeable when workers evaluated supervisory safety practices. Frontline and skilled workers, in particular, tended to describe less positive day-to-day supervisory safety experiences than other job groups. These findings suggest that supervisory interactions may not be experienced consistently across all levels of the workforce.

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