Abstract

As the domestic construction industry's dependence on foreign workers intensifies, this study aims to analyze the current state of industrial accidents caused by communication issues and propose effective safety communication methods to improve the situation. In particular, this study focuses on housing construction sites where pressure to meet deadlines and interference between work types are frequent, seeking to empirically identify key mechanisms that induce safe behavior in foreign workers. For this purpose, a survey was conducted on foreign workers employed at three housing construction sites in the Seoul metropolitan area, and correlation analysis and verification of the mediating effect of safety leadership were performed based on 98 valid samples collected. The main results of the study are as follows: First, 'lack of communication' and 'insufficient understanding of safety instructions' account for the highest proportion of causes for safety accidents among foreign workers, and the perception of accident risk was particularly low among Non-professional Employment (E-9) workers with low Korean language proficiency. Second, IT-based multilingual communication tools (AI translators, multilingual TBM apps) and visual-centered safety information (standardization of pictograms) were found to have a significant positive impact on compliance with safety standards and safety participation. Specifically, delivering detailed instructions using AI translation technology showed a greater influence on inducing safe behavior than simply installing signs. Third, the activities of 'Foreign Safety (TBM) Leaders (foreign communication specialists)' composed of skilled workers by nationality were confirmed to significantly transmit the process of converting communication satisfaction into practical safety behavior by building trust between managers and workers. The results of this study suggest that to reduce accidents among foreign workers, it is essential to establish a safety management system that combines the introduction of smart safety technology with human networks (safety leaders, communication specialists) beyond simple language translation. This can be utilized as basic data for establishing strategies for foreign worker safety management at future construction sites and for advancing site health and safety management systems.