Logistic regression modeling of implementation of corporate safety policy in international infrastructures

This study aims to determine the influences of explanatory factors on the efficacy of the implementation of corporate safety policy (CSP) in international projects from the perspective of international contractors.

Four explanatory factors were identified for the implementation of CSP in international projects based on literature review. A questionnaire survey was then conducted among Chinese organizations that have been involved in international projects. In total, 121 valid responses were received from the questionnaire survey and were modeled using logistic regression to examine the impact of each factor on the observed event of interest.

The factors related to the effectiveness of implementing CSP, including “attitudes toward safety management measures (ASMM),” “operational mechanism for safety regulations (OM),” “safety knowledge management system (SKMS)” and “systematic safety training scheme (STS),” were selected. The results revealed that OM and SKMS were significant predictors (p < 0.05) of the odds of implementation satisfaction of CSP, but ASMM and STS were not. The probability of satisfactory CSP implementation increased as the value of SKMS increased, whereas the probability of unsatisfactory implementation improved as the value of OM increased.

The questionnaire was distributed to respondents in international contractors headquartered in China. Other types of international organizations can be covered in future research. Furthermore, other factors, such as the local construction environment, should be considered in future studies.

The results provide new insights on CSP implementation overseas. Effective implementation of CSP contributes to the improvement of the safety performance of contractors. The practical significance of interpreting the influence factors is that the contractors can implement more efficient and targeted approaches and tools in the execution of their CSP. The impact of OM reminds safety managers of the synchronization of CSP as well as its implementation environment and characteristics. The effect of ASMM encourages contractors to adopt Web-based and digital knowledge management systems to improve the implementation efficiency of CSP.

The novelty of this study lies in the selection of factors and their impacts on CSP implementation in international projects. This study has also extended knowledge on normative safety in international projects based on quantitative modeling.