Institutional determinants of construction safety management strategies of contractors in Hong Kong

From an institutional perspective, organisations are not only a production system; but also a social and cultural system. The external institutional environment in which organisations are embedded plays a critical role in shaping organisational structures and practices. Organisations as active agencies respond strategically to the institutional pressures and expectations in a variety of ways, such as conformity, compromise and avoidance. Building on the conceptual framework established by Oliver (1991), this study explores how contractors respond to institutional demands in terms of compliance with construction health and safety requirements, involvement in voluntary safety initiatives and safety campaigns, and commitment to zero accidents in the context of the Hong Kong construction industry. A case study was conducted to collect empirical evidence of contractors' strategic responses. The results indicate that the contractor prefers to adopt compromise and avoidance strategies in the face of the client’s stringent safety requirements and tight project progress demands. This study contributes to the knowledge of safety management by offering an institutional explanation of contractors' safety management strategies.