Like many other parts of the globe, in Malaysia, construction industry has a vital support to
the national economy, even though statistics indicates that, at the same time, it is an extremely
risky profession due to high accident rate. In addition, current evidences suggest that, in
general, safety in Sarawak construction industries lack attention. As, human behavior is regarded
as the principal component that contributes to accidents in this industry, this study
intends to explore existing barriers in development and maintaining safety performance behavior
as well as possible coping strategies. A qualitative analysis of in-depth interview (N=4)
among different levels of professions within industries in Kuching, Sarawak reveals that,
price sensitive subcontracting, short-term projects, irregular cash flow, dependency on larger
companies, less managerial and supervisory engagement, and priority on progress alone create
obstacles for safety behavior. On the other hand, possibly, the challenges can be managed
through integration of safety into contracts as compliance, associated disbursement, and introducing
incentives.