Work

A Study on the Nonlinear Relationship Between the Microenvironment of Cold-Region Tunnels and Workers’ Unsafe Behaviors

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: As a typical enclosed engineering microenvironment, tunnel construction sites exert a profound influence on workers’ unsafe behaviors. This impact is particularly significant in cold regions, where extreme environmental conditions are more likely to trigger unsafe behavior among construction workers. This study utilized two exemplary tunnels in cold regions of China as case studies. During the construction period, microenvironmental data were systematically collected, encompassing temperature, humidity, noise, and dust concentration. In parallel, data on workers’ unsafe behaviors were integrated to construct a nonlinear relationship model, and the importance of each microenvironmental variable was assessed using the random forest algorithm. The results indicate that various microenvironmental factors exhibit significant nonlinear effects on unsafe behavior. Among them, dust concentration had the strongest impact (22.56%), followed by noise (17.40%), humidity (15.02%), and temperature (9.21%). Specifically, the maintenance of temperature control close to 0 °C, humidity levels maintained at 60% to 65%, noise levels not exceeding 82 dB, and dust concentrations below 12 mg/m3 contributed to a significant reduction in unsafe behavior scores. The present study investigates the mechanism of the microenvironment of cold-region tunnel construction on personnel behavioral risk. The study’s findings provide a threshold reference and strategy support for safety optimization and engineering site management of cold-region tunnel construction environments.

Source: Buildings

DOI: 10.3390/buildings15173155

Authors: Sheng Zhang, Hao Sun, Youyou Jiang, Xingxin Nie, Mingdong Kuang, Zheng Liu

Institutions: Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Northwest University

Language: English

Topic: Occupational Health and Safety Research

Subfield: Radiological and Ultrasound Technology

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137