04. Recruitment and Selection for Safety Competence
Employees that are well-versed in health and safety procedures should be given preference during the recruitment and selection processes. HRM can create standards that evaluate a person's dedication to safety in addition to their technical proficiency. Candidates that see the value of safety in construction can be drawn in by including safety assessments into the hiring process.
Strategies for Safety-Focused Recruitment:
- Safety Competency Assessments
Evaluate candidates’ knowledge and attitudes toward safety during the hiring process. An essential HRM tool for determining whether employees and managers have the knowledge, abilities, and character traits needed to carry out their jobs safely is a safety competence assessment. These evaluations go beyond merely completing training; they are designed to make sure that workers can show proficiency in practical settings, recognize risks, make wise safety choices, and use safe practices on a daily basis. HRM can detect competency gaps and design training programs to proactively solve them by routinely assessing safety competencies, for instance through written examinations, practical demonstrations, peer observations, or on-site simulations (Rahman et al., 2022).By breaking "silent" risk loops where employees could unintentionally participate in risky behaviors due to a lack of behavioral preparation or deeper understanding, this contributes to the development of a more resilient safety culture.
Research indicates that evaluating workers' safety competency has a major impact on safety results, particularly in the construction industry. For example, Fansuri, Arifuddin, and Latief (2023) discovered that competency-based training produces superior performance in hazard awareness and safe behavior than strictly lecture-based approaches when comparing various training techniques by measuring improvements in competency. Similarly, Munasinghe (2023) found that behavioral competency was the most important factor affecting health, safety, and small accidents in Sri Lanka; this implies that behavioral measures, not just technical knowledge, must be included in an effective evaluation. Adopting formal competency evaluations also communicates to management and staff that safety is a strategic, measurable capability that the company values and invests in. Safety competency evaluations can assist professionalize safety jobs, institutionalize safe practices, and increase organizational standards for safety performance when they are integrated with performance reviews, career advancement, and reward systems.
- Focused Job Descriptions
A fundamental HRM tool for integrating safety into organizational tasks and ensuring that people are aware of their duties for occupational health and safety (OHS) is a job description that is clearly defined and safety-oriented. HRM contributes to the elimination of role ambiguity and guarantees role clarity, which is essential for both prevention and accountability, by clearly stating safety-specific activities, competences, credentials, and performance objectives in job descriptions (Safe Work Australia, 2023). Safety is elevated from a casual afterthought to a formal job requirement when job descriptions include both technical tasks and safety leadership responsibilities, such as hazard identification, risk assessment, and incident reporting (Zhou et al., 2025). Additionally, a multi-criteria analysis of safety professional job descriptions revealed that vague or poorly structured descriptions can result in role uncertainty, underqualified hiring, and suboptimal safety outcomes. This suggests that well-written job descriptions are associated with better OSH performance.
The employment of clearly defined roles is further supported by job demands and resources theory in the high-risk setting of construction. When safety roles are well defined (a job resource), they help sustain safe behaviors under pressure and buffer the stress of hazardous demands. Furthermore, a recent Delphi study of safety experts found that "role clarity" is one of the major factors influencing safety culture in construction, confirming that accurate and thorough job descriptions actively shape the organization's safety values in addition to directing hiring and performance reviews. In order to match duties, credentials, and responsibility with the organization's safety goals, HRM must spend in creating targeted job descriptions for safety-critical positions, such as frontline employees, supervisors, and safety specialists.- Cultural Fit
The alignment of an individual's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with the common values, conventions, and practices of an organization—particularly with regard to safety—is referred to as cultural fit. Hiring for cultural fit is crucial from an HRM standpoint since it guarantees that workers are not just technically proficient but also driven to follow and uphold the company's safety standards. Both new and current employees are more likely to display behaviors that promote safety, such as following regulations, actively reporting dangers, and taking part in safety initiatives, when they work in a company with a strong safety-oriented culture.Organizational culture has a significant impact on safety behavior, according to empirical research. For example, a systematic review in the construction industry found that a strong safety culture is associated with better implementation of safety measures, lower accident rates, and higher employee engagement in safety activities (Anzagira & Avogo, 2024). According to Mustapha, Boahene, and Tieru (2023), a study conducted in Ghana found that the safety behaviors of construction workers are significantly influenced by underlying cultural presumptions, such as the importance of shared responsibility and freedom of expression. More broadly, cultural factors like power distance, collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance affect how workers perceive and embrace safety procedures. In certain national or organizational cultures, workers may demand more participatory decision-making, while in others they may expect top-down instructions (Rahman & colleagues, 2022).
Peer pressure, risk perception, and risk communication—all entrenched in local cultural norms—have been identified by socio-cultural studies from the marine industry in Sri Lanka as crucial to creating a long-lasting safety culture (Hettiarachchie, 2013). Therefore, in order to ensure that safety-oriented principles are ingrained in the workforce's identity, effective HRM must incorporate cultural-fit factors into its recruitment, selection, and development procedures. This cultural congruence upholds behavioral standards that support safety as a fundamental business priority, fosters reciprocal accountability, and increases trust.
Reference
Anzagira, L., & Avogo, W. (2024).
Safety culture and safety behaviour in the construction industry: A systematic review. International Journal of Construction Safety Studies, 12(3), 45–62.
Fansuri, A., Arifuddin, M., & Latief, Y. (2023).
Competency-based safety training and its effect on hazard awareness among construction workers. Journal of Construction Education and Research, 19(2), 150–166.
Hettiarachchie, C. (2013).
Socio-cultural factors influencing safety behaviour in Sri Lanka’s marine industry. Journal of Marine Social Sciences, 5(1), 22–35.
Munasinghe, K. (2023).
Behavioral competency and its impact on health, safety, and minor accidents in the Sri Lankan construction sector. Sri Lankan Journal of Built Environment, 4(2), 33–48.
Mustapha, H., Boahene, K., & Tieru, N. (2023).
Cultural determinants of construction workers’ safety behaviour in Ghana. Safety Science Perspectives, 17(1), 75–89.
Rahman, A., Karim, M., & Islam, R. (2022).
Safety competency assessments in high-risk industries: An HRM perspective. International Journal of Occupational Safety Management, 8(4), 210–225.
Rahman & colleagues. (2022).
Cultural influences on safety adoption and compliance in developing economies. Journal of Cross-Cultural Safety Studies, 6(3), 88–102.
Safe Work Australia. (2023).
Guidelines for developing work health and safety job descriptions. Safe Work Australia.
Zhou, P., Wang, L., & Chen, Y. (2025).
Safety leadership responsibilities in construction job descriptions: A multi-criteria analysis. Journal of Occupational Health and Safety Management, 13(1), 12–29.
A strong emphasis on safety-focused recruitment ensures that organizations bring in employees who not only possess technical skills but also demonstrate a genuine commitment to safe work practices. Prioritizing candidates with proven safety awareness helps reduce preventable incidents and reinforces a proactive safety culture from the earliest stage of employment. By integrating structured safety competency assessments—such as practical demonstrations, written tests, and on-site simulations—HRM can accurately gauge an individual's real-world decision-making and hazard-recognition abilities. This approach enables organizations to identify potential gaps early, align new hires with safety expectations, and prevent unsafe behavioral patterns from becoming embedded in the workforce. Ultimately, embedding safety criteria into recruitment strengthens the foundation for long-term health and safety performance in the construction sector.
ReplyDeleteDear Apeksha, This demonstrates completely how incorporating safety standards into hiring enhances an organization's overall safety culture. Organizations may lower risks early, connect new hires with safety objectives, and create a safer, more accountable workforce from the outset by choosing applicants who exhibit good safety awareness and verifying their abilities through systematic evaluations.
DeleteA comprehensive and evidence-based overview of how recruitment and selection directly impact safety competence and culture. Your emphasis on safety competency assessments, clear job descriptions, and cultural fit shows how HRM can set the tone from the very start reducing risk and embedding good practices. This proactive approach ensures that safety isn’t just a compliance checkbox, but a core value reflected in every new hire. Excellent summary and highly relevant for organizations building sustainable safety cultures!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy the proactive approach struck a chord with you; including safety as a fundamental priority during the hiring process does, in fact, have a long-term impact on creating resilient and sustainable safety cultures. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to share these insightful thoughts. Your comments really enhance the conversation.
DeleteYour article explains how recruitment and selection can improve safety in the construction industry. It shows that hiring people with strong safety knowledge and the right attitudes reduces accidents and builds a safer workplace. Using safety tests, clear job descriptions, and checking cultural fit helps companies select employees who value safe practices. Research supports that these HRM strategies lead to better safety behavior and fewer incidents. The article highlights that safety-focused hiring is a powerful step toward a stronger safety culture.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouragement Sanjeewani
ReplyDeleteThis section highlights the necessity for incorporating safety competence into recruitment and selection within Sri Lanka's construction industry. HRM can ensure this by carrying out safety competency assessments, crafting clear, safety-focused job descriptions, and prioritizing cultural fit with the organization's safety values. In so doing, banks and construction firms will be able to attract those employees who are not only technically qualified but also protective of safety culture, enabling a strong and proactive safety culture that reduces on-site accidents.
ReplyDelete