Influence of psychological flexibility on safety behavior of railroad construction workers in high altitude areas

To improve the level of safety behavior of railroad construction personnel in high altitude areas, and to explore the mechanism of the influence of psychological flexibility on safety behavior. Based on social cognitive theory and human-environment interaction theory, this study introduced safety self-efficacy and high-altitude environmental risk perception as mediating and moderating variables of the relationship between psychological resilience and safety behavior. At the same time, a hypothetical model of the relationship between psychological resilience and safety behavior was constructed. Firstly, a phased approach to data collection was adopted, using a well-established scale about psychological resilience and safety behavior. A questionnaire survey was conducted with front-line construction personnel from eight project departments of the under-construction high-altitude railway construction areas in Gansu, Qinghai and Tibet. Secondly, structural equations were established based on validated factor analysis and correlation analysis using AMOS 24.0 model to verify the hypothesis and calculate the path coefficients. Finally, the causality and flow diagrams of safety behaviors were constructed. The path coefficients and constants were used as system dynamics (SD) simulation parameters to simulate the change process of psychological resilience and safety behaviors under the intervention of safety self-efficacy and high-altitude environmental risk perception using Vensim. The results show that psychological resilience significantly and positively can influence safety behavior (safety compliance and safety participation), and safety self-efficacy mediated the relationship between psychological resilience and safety behavior (safety compliance and safety participation). Meanwhile, the perception of risk in high-altitude environment significantly moderated the influence of psychological flexibility on safety behavior (safety compliance and safety participation). In addition, the simulation results show that psychological resilience and safety behaviors show a parabolic line of decline and then increase under the intervention of safety self-efficacy and high-altitude environmental risk perception. The results not only can enrich the application of psychology in engineering practice, but also provide new ideas for safety behavior research and practical suggestions for improving enterprise safety management. © 2023, Central South University Press. All rights reserved.