Analysis of Cognitive Biases in Construction Health and Safety in New Zealand

The construction industry's intricate and high-risk characteristics create considerable challenges in decision-making, often leading to mistakes that threaten health and safety performance. Cognitive biases can further skew risk evaluations and shape decision-making, ultimately impacting safety behaviors and outcomes. While numerous studies have looked into cognitive biases in construction, a comprehensive understanding of how these biases interact with crucial decision factors related to health and safety is still lacking. This study aimed to enhance sustainable health and safety practices within the construction sector by investigating the repercussions and interactions of cognitive biases with fundamental decision factors through a systematic literature review. A total of two hundred and eighty-three articles published between 2018 and 2024 were examined, with forty-five selected for inclusion. The findings from the network analysis highlight key decision factors, reinforcing loops, and essential paths that influence health and safety performance, demonstrating how cognitive biases shape risk perception, decision intricacy, and workplace safety behaviors. The insights derived from this research underscore the challenges and the possibilities for improvement, providing a basis for researchers, construction safety professionals, and policymakers to create targeted strategies that reduce cognitive biases, improve risk perception, and reinforce decision-making frameworks, ultimately enhancing health and safety performance in the construction industry.<br>