Applying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in assessing mental ill-health risk factors of construction employees: a case study in Vietnam

Purpose Construction employees face numerous mental ill health risk factors. However, little is known about the importance of these factors. This study aims to identify and prioritize the mental ill-health risk factors of construction employees by applying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach A list of 22 risk factors was identified via a review of previous studies and discussions with experienced practitioners. A structured questionnaire survey was then developed and delivered to 422 construction employees in Vietnam using the snowball sampling method. Data were analyzed using the fuzzy synthetic evaluation method. Findings The results reveal that physiological needs, esteem needs and self-actualization are the top three priorities for construction employees. In contrast, safety needs and social belonging needs were ranked lower. Originality/value This study demonstrates the applicability of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a suitable framework for examining mental ill-health risk factors in the construction context. The results show a different prioritization of these risk factors from the original ordering of needs proposed by Maslow. The findings offer practical value by informing the prioritization of mental health interventions in the construction environment.