Project manager’s role in safety performance of Saudi construction

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the primary research question, which is what is the relationship between the project manager’s (PM) possession of the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and the level of the safety culture present in the construction project the PM manages. Design/methodology/approach The research was based on a survey of a purposive sample, 109 engineers and first-line supervisors worked in 23 construction projects of which ten were led by PMP-certified PMs and 13 were led by PMs lacking PMP certification. Each PM completed a demographic questionnaire for the predictor variables of PMP certification controlled for age and experience. To assess the criterion variable of safety culture total score, engineers and first-line supervisors working in the same project completed the questionnaire of safety culture values and practices. Findings Results of this study indicated the level of safety culture was significantly different, and improved, for engineers and first-line supervisors who work under PMs with PMP certification compared to the level of safety culture in projects managed by PMs with no PMP certification. Although alignment of safety culture perceptions among different levels in the organization helps to achieve a positive safety culture, the role of the PM in transferring, implementing and maintaining the safety culture in the construction project is fundamental, particularly in small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Originality/value This study addressed the role of the PMs managerial skills in the safety performance of Saudi Arabian SMEs. The principal finding was that PMs with managerial skills perform better regarding safety performance in SME construction projects than PMs lacking managerial skills. The primary recommendation is that leaders in construction projects must carefully evaluate engineers’ managerial skills before hiring the individuals as PMs. A PM’s promotion model developed in this study provides a suitable framework and business process component for construction leaders seeking to maintain safety performance successfully.