Personality traits are well-established predictors of safety behavior in construction, yet the cognitive mechanisms through which these traits influence such behavior remain poorly understood. In particular, hazard recognition and risk perception are underexamined cognitive mediators that elucidate how personality traits shape safety behavior. Moreover, the mediating effects of these cognitive processes are likely to vary across individuals, reflecting heterogeneity in background characteristics. Neglecting these mediating processes and their differentiated effects not only limits theoretical understanding of the pathways linking personality traits to safety behavior but also undermines the effectiveness of safety interventions. To address this gap, this study develops a framework incorporating cognitive mediators to examine how personality traits influence safety behavior (safety compliance and participation). The hypothesized cognitive-mediation pathways were tested using structural equation modeling based on offline questionnaire data collected from 213 site managers and workers. The findings reveal distinct cognitive pathways through which personality traits shape safety behavior. Extraversion and openness indirectly reduced safety compliance and safety participation by weakening hazard recognition and risk perception, either independently or sequentially. In contrast, agreeableness and conscientiousness enhanced safety behavior by strengthening these same cognitive processes. Higher education levels positively moderated certain mediating effects, whereas extensive work experience exerted mixed influences on specific pathways, facilitating some and inhibiting others depending on context. These findings deepen understanding of the internal mechanisms through which personality traits influence safety behavior via risk cognition. By identifying differentiated pathways across groups, this study further refines the theoretical framework explaining construction workers’ safety behavior. In addition, the theoretical insights generated by this study offer proactive and effective directions for safety practice, including improving person–job fit, designing targeted risk cognition training, and implementing stratified safety management strategies.
Sun et al. (Fri,) studied this question.