Dual Mediation Mechanisms of Ownership Climate on Safety Behavior in Construction Workers: Evidence from China

Abstract

As a high-risk industry characterized by persistently high accident and casualty rates, the construction sector has been extensively studied in terms of individual behavioral safety, organizational safety culture, and safety climate. However, existing research remains fragmented, lacking an integrative perspective to systematically explore the interconnections between these interrelated dimensions. This study investigates the mechanisms through which the ownership climate influences safety behaviors among construction workers in China. Applying self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we propose a dual-mediation model with team building and risk perception as parallel mediators. Empirical data were collected from 312 frontline workers through structured surveys and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrapping techniques. The results demonstrate that a sense of ownership climate not only directly enhances the safety behaviors of construction workers but also functions via dual mechanisms: strengthening team building to improve both compliance with and the execution of safety protocols and heightening risk perception awareness to reduce the propensity for risk-taking behaviors. These findings highlight the need for strategies integrating ownership climate cultivation, team collaboration, and risk awareness training to optimize safety outcomes. This study extends the existing literature by bridging motivational (SDT) and cognitive (TPB) frameworks, offering culturally grounded solutions for transient workforce management in high-risk industries.

1. Introduction

The construction industry has long been identified as one of the most hazardous industries in many parts of the world with safety issues being a major concern in this sector [1,2]. In China, despite a 2020 reduction to 689 safety incidents and 794 fatalities reported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development (MOHURD), the safety land-scape remains precarious [3]. Owing to the characteristics of the construction industry and the group characteristics of construction workers, the incidence rate of safety accidents is significantly higher than that in other industries [4]. In the construction industry, workers are both major participants and immediate victims of safety accidents on sites [5]. Human factors dominate accident causation with unsafe worker behaviors accounting for over 70% of construction mishaps [6].

With the diminishing marginal returns of “hardware” and “explicit” investments, the academic community has shifted the research focus in the field of safety management to implicit factors such as organizational climate and employee psychological characteristics and has achieved significant research outcomes. Some scholars have revealed the association between organizational and individual factors and the mechanism of mutual influence as well as explored the positive influence of organizational climate on safety behaviors based on job performance theory [7,8]. In the existing research on the factors and pathways influencing the safety behaviors of construction workers, the main focus is on a single organizational climate such as the safety climate, and there is a lack of research on other specific climates [9]. In the context of Chinese culture, the ownership climate formed by the influence of collectivism and “family” culture can not only motivate employees to adopt behaviors that are beneficial to the organization in the long term but also improve organizational performance by enhancing employees’ organizational commitment [10,11]. Relatedly, numerous studies have explored the relationship between different cultural dimensions (e.g., individualism or collectivism) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) based on Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions [12]. Research indicates that employees in collectivist cultures are more likely to engage in OCB [13,14]. The ownership climate, which integrates Western OCB concepts with Chinese collective cultural values, not only holds unique value in China but also offers significant research potential for other collectivist countries due to its conceptual alignment with OCB in such settings. By fostering employees’ sense of belonging and responsibility, it promotes a proactive safety climate and encourages active participation in safety practices. Unlike the compliance-centric safety climate, the ownership climate strengthens employees’ intrinsic ownership, driving voluntary engagement in work tasks and increasing OCB like peer-to-peer support and organizational participation, which enhance organizational performance. These elements suggest that the ownership climate has broad applicability and provides valuable insights for organizational management across diverse cultural contexts. The ownership climate, by stimulating employees’ sense of responsibility and belonging, can effectively enhance their sense of ownership of their work, thereby improving their safety awareness and safe behavior at work. In this climate, employees are more likely to take the initiative to focus on safety and strictly adhere to safety protocols to ensure a safe work environment.

However, there is a lack of empirical research exploring the role of ownership climate in the construction industry and its specific impact on the safety behavior of construction workers, especially how it influences workers’ safety decisions and behaviors in practice by stimulating their sense of responsibility and collective consciousness. Based on the above research status and theoretical perspectives, the present research intends to apply the structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrapping techniques to explore the mechanism and pathways of the ownership climate on the safety behavior of Chinese construction workers. The research will also test the mediating effects of team building and risk perception between ownership climate and safety behaviors. This research pioneers the incorporation of the ownership climate into the realm of construction workers’ safety behavior research, seeking to lay a foundation for future studies on construction workers in the industry. Furthermore, the study proposes three targeted practical strategies to enhance safety management efficiency: (1) cultivating psychological ownership through participatory safety planning sessions to formalize workers’ accountability in safety protocols, thereby embedding responsibility within organizational culture; (2) reinforcing team-based governance by establishing cross-functional safety committees and role-specific key performance indicators (KPIs), institutionalizing collaborative risk mitigation across hierarchical levels; (3) deploying immersive technology-enhanced training programs, such as virtual reality (VR) simulations for scenario-based hazard recognition drills, coupled with real-time feedback mechanisms to systematically elevate risk perception accuracy and behavioral adaptation.

2. Literature Review and Research Hypothesis

2.1. Ownership Climate and Safety Behavior

Emerging evidence highlights organizational climate as a pivotal driver of safety behavior implementation with modern organizations exhibiting multidimensional climates (e.g., safety climate, innovation climate) that interact dynamically [15,16,17]. While safety climate exerts a significant positive influence on construction workers’ safety behavior, it is but one dimension of the overarching organizational climate. Distinct types of organizational climates co-created by groups of construction workers in real-world work settings can also impact individual safety behavior. OCB holds a significant position in the field of organizational behavior and is one of the most critical factors for enhancing organizational effectiveness. Positive OCB can create a culture of mutual support and safety focus, reducing accidents and improving individual safety awareness and behavior [18]. Ownership climate—a construct rooted in Western OCB theory and adapted to China’s “familial” culture—reflects the overall atmosphere where employees pursue work excellence, assist others, and demonstrate organizational loyalty, emphasizing collectivist values like collaborative excellence and collective-interest prioritization [10]. Empirical studies indicate that the Western theory of OCB has been both contextualized and enriched within the Chinese cultural paradigm. The ownership climate, which synthesizes the Western OCB framework with China’ s familial collectivism, encapsulates employees’ intrinsic commitment to organizational welfare and role-bound responsibilities derived from Confucian values. This cultural–theoretical synthesis not only challenges the universality of Western OCB assumptions but also offers a novel lens for examining collectivist-driven organizational dynamics [19]. Chinese workers’ pronounced norm compliance and susceptibility to group influence, shaped by collectivist traditions, serve as catalysts for organizational efficacy [20]. Safety behaviors are defined as compliance with safety regulations and procedures during production activities, along with proactive actions to protect oneself, others, and assets, including facilities and tools, prior to the occurrence of hazards or accidents [21]. Seo et al. identified organizational culture and climate as primary predictors of frontline temporary construction workers’ safety behaviors using structural equation modeling [22]. Li et al. demonstrated that ownership consciousness in mining contexts triggers worker extra-role safety initiatives (e.g., voluntary hazard inspections) [23]. This further underscores the synergistic effect of ownership climate and OCB in promoting positive employee behavior. Construction workers’ safety attitudes and behavioral choices are heavily contingent on group norms with shared safety cognition within crews acting as a behavioral scaffold [24]. Workers’ shared perceptions and consensus regarding safety play a crucial role in shaping their safety attitudes and behaviors within organizations. This mechanism of shaping safe behaviors via group norms and shared perceptions aligns with the OCB theory, which posits that employees’ actions are influenced by their group and organizational environment. Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that environments fulfilling three psychological needs—relatedness, autonomy, and competence—enhance intrinsic motivation and proactive behaviors [25,26].

In SDT, individual motivation can be divided into intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, in which intrinsic motivation is driven by people’s interest in the activity itself, which is typical of autonomous behavior; extrinsic motivation depends on the individual’s perception of the relationship between the behavior and the expected outcome, and the theory explains how to transform external motivation into internal motivation, which can effectively explain the process of the ownership climate affecting the safety behavior of construction workers [27,28]. Ownership climate can satisfy the need for belonging and autonomy in SDT by enhancing the individual’s sense of belonging and responsibility. In addition, ownership climate, co-created by frontline workers on project construction sites, can indirectly fulfill employees’ competence needs by creating a supportive work environment. This bolsters their confidence and capacity to handle safety challenges and enhances the proactivity and effectiveness of safety behaviors.

Collectively, profound ownership climate cultivates a “safety-as-responsibility” mental model among construction workers, holistically improving safety behaviors. Accordingly, we hypothesize the following:

Hypothesis 1 (H1).

Ownership climate positively influences construction workers’ safety behaviors.

2.2. The Mediating Effect of Team Building

Team building is one of the most effective management strategies in an organization to maximize the potential of employees, help team members self-regulate their actions and effectively improve team performance [29,30,31]. There is consensus in the literature that team building is composed of four key components: goal setting, interpersonal relations, problem solving, and role clarification. Specifically, goal setting aims to strengthen team members’ motivation to achieve the team’s goals and objectives; interpersonal relations emphasize the improvement of teamwork skills, such as mutual respect, communication, and sharing feelings; problem solving emphasizes identifying the main problems in the team; role clarification emphasizes more communication among team members about their respective roles within the team [32,33,34]. With the continuous development of project management theory, scholars have conducted in-depth discussions on the functions and roles of project teams, and research results have provided strong theoretical support for project team management. In teams embedded in a collectivism-oriented culture, members are more dependent on each other and have more harmonious relationships [35]. Stroud et al. pointed out that team-building activities have a positive effect on organizational development and that all types of groups can benefit from team-building activities [36]. Millhiser et al. pointed out that in most cases, managers select members from existing collaborative cohorts to form teams with a collaborative background, and the interdependence between team members helps to improve team performance and productivity [37]. Schneider et al. found that climate intensity enhances the relationship between team climate and various attitudes and behavioral outcomes at the team level [38].

Construction workers usually work in the form of teams, which are organized into crews or working units. These groups face challenges such as uneven educational levels, significant disparities in overall quality, and strong technical specialization. Team development is easily influenced by organizational, social, and environmental factors, resulting in a lack of team stability. A positive organizational atmosphere enhances workers’ trust and collaboration, thereby creating a supportive environment for team building. Specifically, an ownership climate fosters team identification and shared responsibility, mitigates internal conflicts, and ultimately stabilizes construction teams—even those characterized by high mobility and temporary employment arrangements. Employees develop a sense of ownership toward their work, actively do their own work, adjust their behavior to align with the organization, and tend to engage in behaviors that benefit the team beyond their own responsibilities [39]. When an organization has a strong ownership climate, employees are less likely to hinder the transfer of information and knowledge to pursue their own interests or maintain their advantageous positions. Instead, they develop affective commitment and a sense of cohesion with the organization, driving it toward positive development [40]. This emotional commitment and cohesion drive employees to focus more on the collective interests of the team, consequently reducing internal conflicts and laying a solid foundation for the team’s stable development. By strengthening team building within the organization and enhancing emotional bonds among team members, employees prioritize the safety of others in their work. This not only improves overall safety performance but also further standardizes their safety behaviors [41]. Based on the analysis above, we hypothesize the following:

Hypothesis 2a (H2a).

Ownership climate positively influences team building among construction workers.

Hypothesis 2b (H2b).

Team building positively influences construction workers’ safety behaviors.

Hypothesis 2 (H2).

Team building mediates the ownership climate—safety behavior relationship.

2.3. The Mediating Effect of Risk Perception

Risk perception, a concept within the realm of psychology, refers to an individual’s feelings and perceptions of outside, objective risks, which are influenced by intuitive judgment and subjective feelings [42]. Studies on organizational climate suggest that the work environment significantly shapes employees’ perceptions and behavioral patterns, which in turn influence group dynamics. Employees’ perceptions of the organizational context determine their responses to changes in the work environment [43]. In an occupational setting, employee risk judgements have to be related to the “safety climate” and other organizational and social factors which are important for safety [44]. Based on the theory of social contagion, Scherer et al. demonstrated that social connections at the organizational and group levels can create an atmosphere characterized by similar attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, thereby playing a significant role in centralizing risk perception [45]. Organizational climate can largely guide employee behavior, thereby influencing their level of risk perception. Employees’ sense of ownership affects their personal attitudes and behaviors, which in turn enhances work engagement. Particularly in the face of decision making and uncertainty, their risk perceptions and decision-making behaviors tend to be more forward looking and strategic.

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) posits that behavioral intentions, shaped by behavioral attitudes and subjective norms, directly determine actual behavior [46]. Through its integration of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, TPB has been extensively utilized to predict and explain individual behaviors across multiple domains. Risk perception, a critical precursor to subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, exerts a significant influence on behavioral outcomes. When individuals possess a clear and accurate comprehension of risk, they are more likely to perceive their capacity to execute safe behaviors effectively, thereby augmenting their perceived behavioral control. In safety behavior research, investigating the role of risk perception among workers is critical to safety management practices. Hugh et al. argued that workers’ lack of safety knowledge or failure to comply with safety protocols often leads to hazardous exposure [47]. Workers with heightened risk perception demonstrate stronger adherence to safety practices and avoid risk-taking behaviors [48]. Low et al. found that risk perception serves as a key predictor of behavioral choices with construction workers exhibiting low risk perception more likely to take risks at work [49]. Gilkey et al. highlighted that increasing evidence suggests that risk perception directly affects workers’ views on safe work behavior and the associated risks of injury and death [50]. Workers’ risk perception shapes their behavioral patterns, and these behaviors directly correlate with accident probabilities [51]. Silva et al. pointed out that workers may take unsafe actions because they are unaware of the potential dangers these actions pose in the workplace [52]. Evidence indicates that safety risks are often underestimated or inaccurately perceived in the construction industry, leading workers to engage in risky behaviors [53]. This is particularly evident when construction workers are confronted with high-intensity tasks and variable work environments. In such scenarios, they may overlook or underestimate potential safety risks, thereby engaging in unsafe behaviors. Based on the analysis above, we hypothesize the following:

Hypothesis 3a (H3a).

Ownership climate positively influences construction workers’ risk perception.

Hypothesis 3b (H3b).

Risk perception positively influences construction workers’ safety behaviors.

Hypothesis 3 (H3).

Risk perception mediates the ownership climate—safety behavior relationship.

2.4. The Hypothetical Model

Individual behavior is shaped by a multitude of factors, including personal traits, cognition, social support, environmental conditions, and situational characteristics. The interplay and underlying mechanisms of these factors hold significant research value, and examining their workings is critical to understanding individual behavior. Ownership climate, an emerging organizational culture concept, can effectively foster individual safety behaviors by leveraging psychological identification and collective collaboration. Team cohesion and member responsibility enhance workers’ proactive safety behaviors, while risk perception influences attitudes and decision making, driving more cautious safety behaviors. This study investigates the relationship between ownership climate and construction workers’ safety behaviors with a focus on dual mediation mechanisms through team building and risk perception to elucidate the intrinsic roles and mechanisms of these factors. As depicted in Figure 1, the conceptual framework posits the following:

(1)

Direct path: Ownership climate→Safety behaviors (H1).

(2)

Mediation pathways: Ownership climate→Team building→Safety behaviors (H2a→H2b).

(3)

Mediation pathways: Ownership climate→Risk perception→Safety behaviors (H3a→H3b).

3. Research Design

3.1. Sample Selection and Data Sources

This study targeted frontline construction workers in China’s building industry. Using stratified random sampling by trade and region, we collected data from workers engaged in residential projects across Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong provinces, and other regions through Questionnaire Star, which is a dominant Chinese survey platform validated in construction safety studies.

Table 1. Sample information statistics.

Variable	Category	Number	%
Gender	Male	264	84.6
	Female	48	15.4
Age(years)	≤20	6	1.9
	21–30	89	28.5
	31–40	139	44.6
	41–50	68	21.8
	≥51	10	3.2
Education	Primary school and below	19	6.1
	Junior high school and below	77	24.7
	Senior high school (vocational high school)	113	36.2
	College degree and above	103	33.0
Work experience(years)	≤5	102	32.7
	6–10	123	39.4
	11–15	56	17.9
	16–20	17	5.4
	≥21	14	4.5
Job type	Skilled worker	272	87.2
	Unskilled worker (laborer)	40	12.8

summarizes the demographic profile.

To ensure the validity of respondents, the following measures were implemented:

(1)

Real-Name Verification: Contractors’ safety departments distributed questionnaires exclusively to registered on-site workers via their mandatory safety training portals with IP/MAC address tracking to prevent duplicate submissions.

(2)

Anonymity Protocol: Emphasized data decoupling from personal identifiers during pre-survey briefings, adopting the anonymity assurance framework.

From 356 initial responses, we excluded 44 invalid cases through the following criteria:

(1)

Automated consistency checks (e.g., contradictory responses to “work experience” vs. “age”);

(2)

Pattern detection using Cronbach’s alpha > 0.7 threshold for scale reliability;

(3)

Manual review of open-ended comments for engagement authenticity.

The final 312 valid samples (87.6% validity rate) demonstrated representative coverage.

The sample comprised predominantly males (84.6%). Workers aged 31–40 constituted the largest cohort (44.6%), which was followed by 21–30 (28.5%) and 41–50 (21.8%) age groups. Education levels were distributed as follows: junior high school (24.7%), senior high/vocational school (36.2%), and college or above (33.0%) with only 6.1% having primary education or below. The majority (39.4%) had 6–10 years of work experience, and skilled workers accounted for 87.2% of the sample.

3.2. Measurement

To ensure reliability and validity, we adopted established scales from prior studies and implemented a rigorous cross-cultural adaptation protocol:

(1)

Translation and Back-Translation: Bilingual experts independently translated the original English items into Chinese, which was followed by blind back-translation to ensure conceptual equivalence. Discrepancies were resolved through iterative discussions.

(2)

Expert Review: A panel of three safety management professors and two senior project managers evaluated item clarity and cultural relevance, refining wording to align with Chinese construction workers’ cognitive schemata.

(3)

Scale Design: A 5-point Likert scale (1 = “Strongly Disagree” to 5 = “Strongly Agree”) was employed.

3.2.1. Ownership Climate Scale

Adapted from Yang Yanfang’s organizational ownership climate scale [11], the revised instrument comprises 28 items across six dimensions: learning and enterprising (LE, 5 items), dedication to work (DW, 7 items), helping others (HO, 4 items), interpersonal harmony (IH, 4 items), considering the interests of the whole (CIW, 3 items), and loyalty and integrity (LI, 5 items). The overall Cronbach’s α coefficient for the scale was 0.936. The subscale α coefficients ranged from 0.785 to 0.851. Item DW1 in the work dedication subscale showed a corrected item-total correlation (CITC) of 0.372, which was below the 0.5 threshold. Its removal increased the subscale’s α to 0.858, justifying exclusion. Example items include the following: “The majority of workers proactively seek to acquire knowledge and skills pertinent to their assigned tasks”, “The majority of workers willingly take on additional responsibilities beyond the scope of their duties”, “Challenges and pressure serve to strengthen team cohesion and drive motivation”, “The majority of workers frequently assist in addressing misunderstandings among colleagues”, “The majority of workers can surmount difficulties through proactive coordination to accomplish shared team objectives” and “The majority of workers typically exhibit honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness in their workplace conduct”.

Second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated excellent model fit (χ²/df = 1.495, CFI = 0.958, GFI = 0.898, RMSEA = 0.040), supporting the hierarchical structure and validating the use of a composite ownership climate score.

3.2.2. Team Building Scale

Adapted from Salas et al.’s [33] team-building scale with iterative refinement by Hsu et al. [54], the revised 4-item instrument demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.830). Example items include the following: “There was lots of communication among construction workers regarding their respective roles within the crews” and “There was a mutual supportiveness, communication, and sharing of feelings among crew members”. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated acceptable model fit: χ²/df = 2.294, CFI = 0.994, GFI = 0.993, RMSEA = 0.064.

3.2.3. Risk Perception Scale

The 7-item risk perception scale, culturally adapted from Mohamed et al. [55], showed high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.874). Example items include the following: “I believe that hazards on the job are unavoidable”, “I believe that I can influence the overall level of safety performance”, and “I believe that safety should be a top priority on the job”. CFA results surpassed recommended thresholds: χ²/df = 1.939, CFI = 0.995, GFI = 0.976, RMSEA = 0.055.

3.2.4. Safety Behavior Scale

Drawing from Neal et al.’s [21] scale and Ye et al.’s [56] modifications, the final 11-item scale comprised two dimensions: safety compliance (6 items) and safety participation (5 items). Reliability was robust (overall α = 0.870; subscales: 0.855 and 0.837). Example items include the following: “I am committed to rigorously observing construction safety protocols”, “I will diligently adhere to all safety instructions”, “I will maintain vigilant awareness of safety concerns”, and “I will actively contribute to the establishment and achievement of safety objectives”. Second-order CFA supported a hierarchical structure (χ²/df = 2.809, CFI = 0.944, GFI = 0.934, RMSEA = 0.076), validating the composite safety behavior score.

4. Data Analysis and Results

4.1. Common Method Variance

Given the single-source nature of self-reported data, we assessed potential common method bias (CMV) using Harman’s single-factor test following Podsakoff et al.’s recommendations [57]. An unrotated exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted 10 factors with eigenvalues > 1.0, cumulatively explaining 62.79% of the total variance. The largest single factor accounted for 29.44% of variance, which was below the critical threshold of 40%, indicating no substantial CMV contamination and that the sample was acceptable.

4.2. Construct Validity and Correlations

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS 28.0 examined the discriminant validity. As shown in

Table 2. Model fit comparisons for competing factor structures.

Model	Fit Indices	χ2/df	CFI	GFI	AGFI	RMSEA	SRMR
	Fit Criteria	<5	>0.9	>0.8	>0.8	<0.08	<0.05
Four factor	OC; TB; RP; SB	1.261	0.957	0.845	0.829	0.029	0.047
Three factor	OC; TB + RP; SB	1.582	0.903	0.798	0.778	0.043	0.058
Two factor	OC; TB + RP + SB	1.621	0.897	0.791	0.771	0.045	0.065
One factor	OC + TB + RP + SB	1.875	0.854	0.750	0.726	0.053	0.076

Notes: OC = ownership climate, TB = team building, RP = risk perception, SB = safety behavior, and the same below.

, the baseline model (four-factor model) best fits the data (χ²/df = 1.261, CFI = 0.957, RMSEA = 0.029, SRMR = 0.047). These results confirmed the superiority of the proposed model, providing evidence of adequate discriminant validity among the constructs. Consequently, the measurement model was deemed appropriate for subsequent analysis.

The hypothesized constructs—ownership climate, team building, risk perception, and safety behavior—were empirically evaluated. As summarized in

Table 3. Interconstruct correlations and measurement properties.

Variable	1	2	3	4	CR	AVE
1. OC	0.710	—	—	—	0.965	0.503
2. TB	0.418 **	0.745	—	—	0.833	0.556
3. RP	0.500 **	0.385 **	0.708	—	0.875	0.502
4. SB	0.509 **	0.440 **	0.495 **	0.709	0.917	0.503
Mean value	4.092	4.103	4.266	4.207	—	—
Standard deviation	0.418	0.488	0.453	0.397	—	—

Notes: N = 312, ** p < 0.01, bold diagonal values are square roots of AVE, off-diagonal elements represent latent variable correlations.

, significant positive correlations were observed among all constructs.

Table 3 summarized the interconstruct correlations and measurement properties among ownership climate (OC), team building (TB), risk perception (RP), and safety behavior (SB). All constructs demonstrated strong composite reliability (CR) with values exceeding 0.80 (range: 0.833–0.965), surpassing the recommended threshold of 0.70 [58]. Convergent validity was established as average variance extracted (AVE) values ranged from 0.502 to 0.556, satisfying the critical criterion of AVE > 0.50 [58]. Discriminant validity was further confirmed through Fornell–Larcker comparisons: the square roots of AVE (diagonal values in bold) exceeded corresponding interconstruct correlations (off-diagonal elements), indicating distinctiveness among latent variables.

Significant positive correlations were observed across constructs (p < 0.01), with OC showing the strongest association with SB (r = 0.509), which was followed by RP (r = 0.500) and TB (r = 0.418). These results collectively validate the measurement model’s robustness for subsequent structural analyses.

4.3. Hypotheses Testing

The hypothesized structural model was evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 28.0. The model demonstrated excellent fit to the data (χ²/df = 1.267, RMSEA = 0.029, GFI = 0.844, AGFI = 0.828, CFI = 0.959, TLI = 0.953, IFI = 0.956), satisfying recommended thresholds.

4.3.1. Main Effect Test

The structural model revealed a significant direct effect of ownership climate on construction workers’ safety behaviors. Standardized path coefficients indicated a strong positive relationship (β = 0.394, p < 0.001), accounting for 54.5% of the total variance explained. This robust association supports Hypothesis H1, confirming that fostering ownership climate directly enhances safety compliance and participation behaviors in high-risk construction environments.

4.3.2. Mediating Effect Test

The standardized analysis results of the model in Figure 2 showed that ownership climate significantly predicted team building (β = 0.528, p < 0.001), which subsequently enhanced safety behavior (β = 0.249, p < 0.01). Additionally, ownership climate heightened risk perception (β = 0.606, p < 0.001), leading to improve safety behavior (β = 0.325, p < 0.001). These results supported Hypotheses H2a, H2b, H3a, and H3b, and they preliminarily demonstrated that team building and risk perception had significant mediating effects between ownership climate and safety behavior.

Bootstrap analysis (5000 resamples, bias-corrected percentile method) validated both mediation pathways, as neither confidence interval included zero (

Table 4. Mediation analysis of ownership climate on safety behaviors.

Effect Type	Mediating Pathway	95% Confidence Interval					Effect Size/%	Hypothesis
		Estimate	Standard Error	Lower	Upper	p
Direct Effect	OC→SB	0.394	0.095	0.205	0.579	0.000	54.50	H1: Supported
Indirect Effect	—	0.329	0.069	0.198	0.470	0.000	45.50	—
Mediating Effect	OC→TB→SB	0.132	0.045	0.046	0.224	0.003	18.26	H2: Supported
	OC→RP→SB	0.197	0.058	0.097	0.326	0.000	27.24	H3: Supported
Total Effect	—	0.723	0.064	0.587	0.834	0.000	100.00	—

). Team building and risk perception collectively mediated 45.5% of the total effect with risk perception showing greater explanatory power (27.2%) than team building (18.3%). These results fully support Hypotheses H2 and H3, underscoring the necessity of integrating psychosocial and cognitive interventions in safety management.

5. Discussion

5.1. Major Findings

5.1.1. Influence of Ownership Climate on Safety Behavior

The study confirms that ownership climate exerts a robust direct effect on construction workers’ safety behaviors (β = 0.394, p < 0.001, 54.5% of total effect), aligning with prior findings that emphasize psychosocial factors in safety management [7]. This subsequent analysis confirms that organizational climate, including ownership climate, positively impacts safety behaviors [8]. This relationship can be interpreted through SDT: ownership climate fulfills workers’ psychological needs for autonomy (e.g., empowering safety decisions) and relatedness (e.g., fostering collective accountability), thereby enhancing intrinsic motivation for safety compliance. This indicates that a positive ownership climate can enhance workers’ initiative and sense of responsibility regarding safety behavior, effectively stimulating their concern for and participation in safety practices. As a positive workplace characteristic, the ownership climate not only enhances individual safety awareness but also strengthens collective safety performance.

5.1.2. The Mediating Effect of Team Building

The study confirmed that team building partially mediates the ownership climate–safety behavior relationship (β = 0.132, p < 0.01, 18.3% of the total effect). This suggests that a positive ownership climate enhances collaboration and interaction among workers through improved team building, which in turn increases their acceptance and implementation of safety behaviors. When team members experience mutual trust and support, they are more likely to develop a shared safety consciousness and to monitor and remind each other, thereby enhancing individual safety behaviors. In addition, prior research indicates that organizational climate mediates between organizational systems and member behaviors, influencing teams and individuals. This theoretical framework supports the above findings. Therefore, in addition to fostering a positive ownership climate, companies should prioritize team building and optimize communication and cooperation mechanisms. These efforts not only strengthen team members’ collective sense of responsibility for safety but also boost the intrinsic motivation for safe behavior, ultimately providing a more solid foundation for reducing safety accidents.

5.1.3. The Mediating Effect of Risk Perception

The study confirmed that risk perception partially mediates the relationship between ownership climate and safety behavior (β = 0.197, p < 0.001, 27.2% of total effect). As research indicates, team safety climate within the organizational climate can foster team members’ shared risk perception, thereby enhancing individual emphasis on safety behaviors [59]. This suggests that ownership climate, as a positive organizational climate, can influence individual behavior by heightening risk perception. When workers perceive risks in the work environment, they typically adopt more cautious and disciplined safety behaviors to avoid accidents. By enhancing workers’ sense of responsibility and belonging, the ownership climate keeps them highly alert to possible safety hazards, thus making them more willing to comply with safety regulations and participate in safety management. Therefore, strengthening the ownership climate not only stimulates workers’ safety behaviors but also further enhances their proactive awareness of risk prevention through improved risk perception, ultimately improving the overall safety performance of the team.

5.2. Limitations and Future Research

This study has several limitations in its research design and variable operationalization that warrant further scrutiny. First, the conceptual boundaries and operational dimensions of the ownership climate may vary across heterogeneous work environments, suggesting a need for context-specific refinement. Future studies should operationalize this construct across multiple dimensions (e.g., psychological ownership, collective responsibility) to disentangle its nuanced mechanisms on safety behavior in diverse settings. Second, while the model highlights internal psychological pathways, external moderators—such as leadership styles, regulatory pressures, or organizational resource allocation—may interact with ownership climate to shape safety outcomes. Incorporating these factors could yield a more holistic understanding of boundary conditions.

Methodologically, this study utilized questionnaires to gather data with respondents instructed to provide truthful information. However, the inherent reliance on subjective responses may introduce social desirability bias, potentially undermining data reliability. Additionally, the use of cross-sectional data curtails causal inference and obscures temporal dynamics, such as the long-term evolution of safety behaviors and feedback loops between climate cultivation and behavioral adaptation. Future research could enhance methodological robustness by employing longitudinal designs or controlled behavioral experiments to better establish causality and track behavioral changes over time. Furthermore, integrating multi-source data (e.g., supervisor ratings, safety audits) would mitigate common method bias and strengthen empirical robustness. These improvements could lead to more profound theoretical insights and enhance the practical realizability of research in this domain.

6. Conclusions

This study investigates the mechanism by which ownership climate influences construction workers’ safety behavior, underscoring its significant role in safety management. The findings reveal that ownership climate not only directly improves construction workers’ safety behavior but also exerts indirectly effects through dual mediating paths: team building and risk perception. Specifically, ownership climate fosters a heightened sense of individual and collective safety accountability, strengthens collaborative dynamics within teams, and cultivates a shared safety consciousness, thereby reinforcing adherence to safe practices. Concurrently, it amplifies workers’ sensitivity to latent risks, prompting proactive attention to safety protocols and hazard mitigation.

Based on these findings, construction industry managers should strategically integrate ownership climate as a cornerstone of their safety management frameworks, complementing conventional protocols with this culturally resonant approach. By implementing targeted team-based training program—such as VR risk simulations embedded with collaborative scenarios—organizations can cultivate workers’ psychological ownership of safety outcomes (e.g., viewing safety as a shared responsibility). This approach not only fosters an ownership climate that enhances employees’ sense of belonging and collectivism but also strengthens team collaboration dynamics and systematically strengthens risk awareness, thereby improving the overall efficiency of safety management practices. Such a dual-focused strategy—leveraging both cultural alignment and operational rigor—holds significant potential to reduce accident rates, safeguard worker well-being, and minimize operational disruptions. Furthermore, the longitudinal implementation of ownership climate principles may yield compounding benefits, including strengthened job satisfaction, resilient team cohesion, and sustainable organizational performance, ultimately positioning firms to thrive in competitive and safety-critical markets.

In summary, the ownership climate, as a management concept indigenous to China’s unique cultural context, is deeply rooted in collectivist traditions and holds substantial practical significance. It is congruent with the well-established Western research on OCB and has been further explored and developed at the organizational level [60,61]. While the ownership climate is rooted in Chinese management practices and offers profound insights into Chinese business management, its core mechanisms—such as fostering shared responsibility and collective identity—hold significant potential for adaptation in other collectivist cultures provided contextual adjustments align with local norms and institutional frameworks. In the context of construction industry safety management, the introduction of the ownership climate is not only a complement to traditional safety management practices but also an innovative approach to elevating organizational citizenship behavior from the individual to the organizational level. Future research can further investigate the impact of the ownership climate across different types of construction projects and cultural contexts while integrating the theoretical framework of OCB to explore its practical mechanisms at the organizational level. This will provide more comprehensive and in-depth theoretical support and practical guidance for safety management in the construction industry.