JESK Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea

Effects of Visual Information Improvement in Construction Safety Signs: A Comparative Study of Korean and Foreign Workers

Sohae Kim , Jimin Kwon , Manjae Lee , Yihun Jeong
10.5143/JESK.2026.45.3.191 Epub 2026 July 05

0: Cited By

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare existing construction safety signs with visually improved safety signs, to analyze differences in sign perception between Korean and foreign workers, and to examine the effectiveness of the improved signs.

Background: The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries, with a high risk of occupational accidents, and the proportion of foreign workers has been steadily increasing in recent years. However, language-centered information alone has limitations in delivering immediate hazard recognition and clear meaning at construction sites. Therefore, there is a need for construction safety signs designed with visual information that can be understood intuitively.

Method: This study consisted of a preliminary survey and a main experiment. In the preliminary survey, 15 types of construction safety signs currently used at construction sites were evaluated, and 8 signs with low correct answer rates or poor comprehensibility were selected for redesign. A total of 30 participants, including 15 Koreans and 15 foreigners, took part in the main experiment. Visibility, confidence, and meaning congruence were evaluated for both existing and improved signs. A two-way mixed ANOVA was conducted with nationality and sign type as independent variables. Comprehension was analyzed based on the correctness of open-ended responses.

Results: The analysis of the main effect of sign type showed that, for most signs, the improved signs received higher ratings in visibility, confidence, and meaning congruence than the existing signs. In contrast, the main effect of nationality was not significant for any of the evaluation measures. However, significant interactions between nationality and sign type were found for some signs. Comprehension generally improved, but for several signs, improvements in visibility, confidence, and meaning congruence did not necessarily lead to better comprehension.

Conclusion: Visual-information-based improvements in construction safety signs were effective for both Korean and foreign workers. However, for some signs, improving visual elements alone was not sufficient to enhance meaning communication, and additional design efforts were needed to maintain a clear connection with the core concept of the sign.

Application: The findings of this study can be applied to the design of more intuitive and effective safety signs for construction sites where multinational workers work together.

Keywords

Construction safety signs Visual information Foreign workers Ergonomic design

1. Introduction

한국의 건설업은 대표적인 3D (dirty, dangerous, difficult) 업종으로 분류되며 전체 산업재해의 30%를 차지할 만큼 높은 위험성을 가지 고 있다(Lee et al., 2021). 이러한 구조적 특성으로 인해 건설 현장은 만성적인 인력 부족 문제를 겪고 있으며, 이를 보완하기 위한 외 국인 근로자 의존도는 점차 확대되어 그 비중이 2020년 11.8%에서 2024년 14.7%로 꾸준히 증가하였다(Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association, 2025; Lee et al., 2025).

References

1. Afzal, M. and Shafiq, M.T., Evaluating 4D-BIM and VR for Effective Safety Communication and Training: A Case Study of Multilingual Construction Job-Site Crew, Buildings, 11(8), 319, 2021. doi:10.3390/buildings11080319
Google Scholar

2. Chan, A.H.S., Han, S.H., Ng, A.W.Y. and Park, W., Hong Kong Chinese and Korean comprehension of American security safety symbols, International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 39(5), 835-850, 2009. doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2009.02.009
Google Scholar

3. Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association, Construction Site Report: Foreign Workers (Focused on Retirement Mutual Aid Contributions), Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association, 2025.

4. Enforcement Rule of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Attached Table 6, The Korean Law Information Center, 2025.

5. Fang, Y., Ni, G., Gao, F., Zhang, Q., Niu, M. and Ding, Z., Influencing Mechanism of Safety Sign Features on Visual Attention of Construction Workers: A Study Based on Eye-Tracking Technology, Buildings, 12(11), 1883, 2022. doi:10.3390/buildings12111883
Google Scholar

6. Hasanzadeh, S., Dao, B., Esmaeili, B. and Dodd, M.D., Measuring the Impact of Working Memory Load on the Safety Performance of Construction Workers, Computing in Civil Engineering, 158-166, 2017. doi:10.1061/9780784480847.020
Google Scholar

7. Kim, J., Ishdorj, S., Jeon, J. and Kim, J., Identifying Vital Factors for Enhancing Safety Communication among Foreign Construction Field Workers, Buildings, 14(6), 1714, 2024. doi:10.3390/buildings14061714
Google Scholar

8. Kim, S., Jin, S. and Nam, Y., An Evaluation and Improvement of the Safety Signs for Increasing Recognition Rate, Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea, 39(2), 109-117, 2020. doi:10.5143/JESK.2020.39.2.109
Google Scholar

9. Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), Safety rules at a glance for foreign workers, KOSHA, 2024, https:// kosha.or.kr/notification/release/press-release?bbsId=B2025021400010&pstNo=202406241024229GQZLP (retrieved December 19, 2025).

10. Kwon, Y.H., Kwon, Y.B., Nwagbala, D.C. and Park, J.Y., The Cognitive Load Limits of Multiple Safety Signs, Buildings, 14(8), 2391, 2024. doi:10.3390/buildings14082391
Google Scholar

11. Lee, J.H. and Son, T.H., In-depth Analysis of Fatal Accidents in the Construction Industry based on CSI Data, Construction & Economy Research Institute of Korea, 2023.

12. Lee, J.S., Jeong, K., Jo, M., Park, J. and Lee, D., A Study on the Safety Management of Foreign Workers in Construction Site, Architecture Image Studies, 6(4), 95-100, 2025. doi:10.62754/ais.v6i4.402
Google Scholar

13. Lee, S.B., Yu, S.W. and Shin, D.I., A Study on the Improvement of Safety Education of Foreign Workers at Construction Sites, Journal of Standards, Certification and Safety, 11(2), 103-113, 2021. doi:10.34139/JSCS.2021.11.2.103
Google Scholar

14. Lee, Y.W., Analysis of work-related accident status among foreign workers, Statistics Brief, Migration Research and Training Centre, 2025.

15. Liu, M., Liao, P.C., Wang, X.Y., Li, S. and Rau, P.L.P., Influence of semantic cues on hazard-inspection performance: A case in construction safety, International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 27(1), 14-28, 2021. doi:10.1080/ 10803548.2018.1541648
Google Scholar

16. Maxfield, J.T. and Zelinsky, G.J., Searching Through the Hierarchy: How Level of Target Categorization Affects Visual Search, Visual Cognition, 20(10), 1153-1163, 2012. doi:10.1080/13506285.2012.735718
Google Scholar

17. Min, S.N., Research on the Application of Safety Signs using Optical Illusions in Industrial Sites - Focusing on Fall and Collision Prevention, Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea, 43(1), 27-40, 2024. doi:10.5143/JESK.2024.43.1.27
Google Scholar

18. Min, S.N., Kim, S.H., Kang, C.K., Im, J.N., Kim, D.Y. and Kim, D.J., Comprehensibility of Occupational Safety Pictograms for Foreign Workers: An ISO 9186-1-Based, Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea, 45(1), 13-26, 2026.

19. Ministry of Employment and Labor, (Explanation) Regarding the News1 article, "Foreign workers neglected in construction safety education... ‘Even without knowing Korean, just endure 4 hours and it is OK’", Ministry of Employment and Labor, 2024, https://www.moel.go.kr/news/enews/explain/enewsView.do?news_seq=16678 (retrieved December 19, 2025).

20. Occupational Safety and Health Act, Article 37(1), The Korean Law Information Center, 2024.

21. Occupational Safety and Health Act, Article 40, The Korean Law Information Center, 2022.

22. Rules on Occupational Safety and Health Standards, Article 8 (Illuminance), The Korean Law Information Center, 2025.

23. Weng, Y. and Ren, Q., Visual communication design in laboratory safety: effectiveness and optimization of warning signs, Scientific Reports, 15, 43040, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-26061-6
Google Scholar

24. Wogalter, M.S., Communication-human information processing (C-HIP) model. In M.S. Wogalter (Ed), Forensic Human Factors and Ergonomics: Case Studies and Analyses, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 34-46, 2018.
Google Scholar

25. Yoo, H.Y., Oh, B.K. and Hwang, S.H., Analysis of Application of Pictograms to Public Buildings and Design Improvement, Archives of Design Research, 36(4), 311-331, 2023.