Umeokafor, Nnedinma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4010-5806, Sivaneswaran, Dinushan and Ibitoye, Ayodeji ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5631-8507 (2026) Rethinking construction health, safety and wellbeing regulation gender insensitivity, safety implications, and women's persistence. In: Umeokafor, N ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4010-5806, Emuze, F, Moda, H and Paolillo, A, (eds.) Regulation and Compliance in Construction Safety and Psychosocial Wellbeing: Action Plans for Policy to Practice. Taylor and Francis, London and New York. (In Press)

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Abstract

Being a male-dominated industry, construction equipment, culture and a lot of practice built around males, including Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing (OHSW) and its regulatory regime. This results in non-inclusive OHSW practices and conditions for women, increasing risks and hazards to them and even injuries. This has negative implications for the OHSW record of the industry, the attraction to and attrition of women in construction, and the overall innovation and productivity of the industry. Despite the importance of ensuring women-specific OHSW practices and regulatory regimes, the motivation of the women who continue to stay in the industry despite the poor OHSW conditions is poorly understood. Following the PRISMA guidelines for systematic literature reviews and employing thematic analysis, this study investigated the importance of women-specific OHSW regulation and compliance in construction, exploring what can be learned from the experiences of women who remain in the sector to inform more inclusive safety governance. The findings indicate that the importance of women-specific OHSW regulatory regimes includes establishing effective policy and a future-ready system that ensures inclusivity, with implications for diversity in the industry and improving productivity and performance. It will also contributes to improving the overall OHSW of the industry and equity, rights, and social justice in it. The motivating factors for women in the industry, despite the non-inclusive OHSW regulatory regimes, include economic and practical necessity, career development and professional identity, personal achievement and empowerment, and workplace culture and social experience. The study links regulatory compliance to women’s safety, wellbeing, and career advancement, and provides a fundamental direction and foundation for improving the performance and productivity of the construction industry. It also introduces women’s persistence as an analytical lens.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	gender equality, male-dominated industries, women’s motivation, women in construction, women’s occupational safety, gender safety governance, productivity in construction
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) T Technology > T Technology (General) T Technology > TH Building construction
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences (CMS) Faculty of Engineering & Science > School of Engineering (ENG)
Last Modified:	29 Jun 2026 08:58
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/53602

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