Building Safety in Relation to Homosocial Practices – a Study on Workplace Culture in the Construction Sector
Time: Fri 2025-12-12 10.00
Location: 443, Lindstedtsvägen 30, Stockholm
Video link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/63133214076
Language: Swedish
Subject area: Industrial Economics and Management
Doctoral student: Melker Jörhall , Industriell ekonomi och organisation (Inst.), Högskolan Dalarna
Opponent: Universitets lektor Fredrik Sjögren, Luleå Technical University
Supervisor: Professor Johann Packendorff, ; Professor Annika Vänje, Högskolan Dalarna
Abstract
The Swedish construction sector suffers from a high number of accidents and the persistence of a homosocial workplace culture in which masculine attributes are central. Despite growing awareness that these tendencies are interrelated, the circumstances persist.
In response to these two problems, the aim of this licentiate thesis is to explore the dynamics between homosocial practices and safety practices at construction sites, and the implications these might have for workers’ and site management’s workplace culture.
To facilitate this exploration, a sequential mixed-methods design based on semi-structured interviews and a cross-sectional questionnaire study was deployed. A theoretical framework synthesising theories of safety, homosociality and masculinity was used to analyse recurring practices at four construction sites across two construction organisations.
In brief, the research questions concerned characterising recurring homosocial and safety practices (1 and 2), and what implications the interplay between these have on the workplace culture (3).
The thesis has three main contributions. First, it demonstrates how homosocial practices can persist even as the workplace culture undergoes a transformation towards becoming more accepting of expressions of care. Second, it shows how homosociality and safety intersect with each other through men’s efforts to align their safety practices with those of other men. Through these practices, men seek to pursue and demonstrate their own maturity. Finally, the thesis links changing masculine ideals with a changing safety culture through homosocial practices.
For practitioners, a key implication is that efforts to sustain a robust safety culture can shape prevalent homosocial practices through a dialectical relationship, where these practices also influence the safety culture. However, top-down approaches to fostering a culture centred on care and strong safety practices face limitations. These include ambiguities in how care for fellow construction workers is interpreted, as well as the project-based nature of the construction sector. To address these limitations, it is important to emphasise collectiveness alongside self-care. Cultivating such a shared understanding of safety priorities may incentivise homosocial practices that strengthen safety performance.