Unraveling the Drivers of Construction Safety Knowledge Sharing on Online Social Media in Engineering Management

Abstract

Despite the construction engineering industry's efforts in training and safety through government and organizational investments, high accident rates persist, highlighting the need for improved construction safety management. Research has begun to focus on knowledge management using AI and internal organizational sharing, but the use of online social media for cross-organizational sharing remains underexplored. Our study delves into the role of social media in disseminating construction safety knowledge and the motivations behind this sharing. Employing the social cognitive model, we identified five key factors impacting online knowledge sharing: community identity, social awareness, knowledge sharing self-efficacy, altruism, and the intention to share knowledge. We gathered quantitative data through a survey with 741 valid responses, which revealed that community identity significantly boosts knowledge sharing self-efficacy and social awareness, and that self-efficacy, altruism, and the desire to share are strong predictors of knowledge sharing behavior. The study enriches the theoretical framework of knowledge sharing by offering new insights into the roles of social influence and altruism in knowledge-sharing behaviors. Practically, it advises construction industry professionals on strategies to promote knowledge sharing, especially on how to leverage online platforms and communities to improve the dissemination and uptake of safety knowledge.