Development and validation of implicit behavioral tests assessing perceptual sensitivity to construction hazards

Abstract

Introduction: Evaluating construction workers' ability to recognize hazards is considered one of the most effective strategies for preventing accidents. This study developed and evaluated implicit behavioral tasks designed to measure perceptual sensitivity to danger in construction sites, offering an innovative alternative to conventional explicit knowledge tests. Method: Utilizing attentional blink, change blindness, and go/nogo tasks, the study examined key cognitive processes such as attentional capture, change detection, and response inhibition-essential for hazard recognition in high-risk environments. Result: Results revealed that construction workers demonstrate superior attentional allocation to dangerous objects, heightened change detection for danger-related stimuli, and enhanced inhibition of impulsive reactions to construction hazards compared to the control group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the tasks are effective in assessing critical cognitive traits associated with safety awareness and can be scaled for broader application in construction safety management. Practical Applications: Integrating these behavioral tasks into safety training enables construction managers to evaluate workers' hazard recognition abilities, identify individuals with lower perceptual sensitivity to hazards, and implement targeted interventions.