Influence of 5S-Based Chemical Storage and Handling on Environmental Performance in Building Construction Projects: The Mediating Role of Chemical Waste Reduction

Abstract

Chemical storage on building sites is a recognised source of soil and water contamination, yet the management routines that prevent such losses have rarely been tested against environmental outcomes. This study examined the influence of 5S-based chemical storage and handling on environmental performance in building construction projects and tested chemical waste reduction as a mediating mechanism. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 250 construction professionals engaged on residential, commercial and government building projects. Twenty-eight items measured 5S practice, chemical waste reduction and environmental performance on five-point agreement scales, and all three constructs recorded acceptable internal consistency. Descriptive statistics, correlation, hierarchical regression and bootstrapped mediation analysis were computed in SPSS. 5S practice predicted chemical waste reduction and environmental performance. Entering both predictors together reduced the direct effect from 0.552 to 0.345 while leaving it significant, and the indirect path through chemical waste reduction was significant at 0.207, with a bootstrap confidence interval of 0.131 to 0.290. Waste reduction accounted for 37.5 per cent of the total effect, which indicates partial mediation: storage discipline was associated with better environmental outcomes mainly, though not only, through the prevention of waste at source. Implications are drawn for site supervision and for the design of chemical storage protocols.