Factors influencing Personal Protective Equipment usage: a comparative study of large- and small-scale organisations in Sri Lanka

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays a critical role in reducing injuries and fatalities in the construction industry; however, its usage remains inconsistent, particularly in developing countries. This study investigates the factors influencing PPE adoption in Sri Lanka, with a specific focus on how these factors differ between large-scale and small-scale construction organizations. A mixed-methods approach was adopted in this study, combining semi-structured interviews and a structured questionnaire survey. The findings of the surveys reveal that organizational scale significantly influences both motivations and barriers to PPE usage. Large-scale organizations are primarily driven by formal safety systems, structured training, and managerial enforcement, whereas small-scale organizations are more influenced by social norms and individual attitudes. Key barriers identified through this study include inadequate training in large organizations and discomfort and inconvenience in smaller organizations. Despite these differences, supervisory enforcement and prior accident experience were identified as common drivers across both groups. The study contributes to construction safety literature by demonstrating the importance of organizational scale in shaping PPE compliance and highlights the need for targeted, context-specific safety interventions.