‘You couldn’t finish the job without breaking the rules’: common sense safety on a large construction project

Common sense safety refers to the practical knowledge and judgement developed by workers after on-site experience and has been employed by workers of small and micro construction firms for quite some time. This study, which is part of a wider PhD project, aims to explore whether the common sense safety phenomenon is present on a large infrastructure project (+£500m) in the UK. A mixed method approach was implemented through conversations with workers and analysis of qualitative and quantitative safety climate survey data. Considering that the majority of construction workers were employed from smaller subcontractors, it was found that several brought this 'common sense' attitude. This caused frictions against the stricter and formalised rules and regulations enforced at a larger organisation. Workers believed that they 'couldn't finish the job without breaking the rules' and only wanted to use specific PPE for the tasks that required them. There was particular resistance with safety glasses, who some believed caused 'more accidents' than prevented. In a safety climate survey, 62% of employees agreed they ’sometimes use their own judgement about following procedures’; and 78% strongly agreed or agreed that ’using common sense will keep me safe at work’. The supervisors had concerns about a 'common sense' approach and middle-management acknowledged that it 'wouldn't represent a defence in court'. However, they did not always challenge the workers for not adhering to PPE requirements. For many workers the bureaucracy courtesy of rules and regulations was a big change and one that was unpopular. This can cause frictions in terms of working relationships and meant that greater safety efforts focused on compliance rather than the 'real' safety issues.