A principal components analysis of safety performance measures: a study among construction workers in Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract: The health and safety (H&S) of construction workers has been a subject of much deliberation for decades. However, there is scant literature focusing on aspects of workers’ safety performance (SP) relating to their unhealthy and unsafe eating behavior. The paper presents findings on a principal components analysis (PCA) of H&S performance measures. A 10-item questionnaire which was developed after an extensive literature review was used to collect empirical data on SP of construction workers in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Results showed that SP could be reasonably measured by two constructs. The two constructs were clearly defined by the PCA as trailing and prevailing. The emerged trailing measures were named lagging indicators while the prevailing ones were designated as leading indicators. The results lend support to extant literature which advocates the use of both leading and lagging safety performance indicators for effectively assessing construction workers’ safety performance. The study provides evidence which could be beneficial in psychometric evaluation of construction workers’ safety performance and behaviours on construction sites