Improving accident analysis in construction – Development of a contributing factor classification framework and evaluation of its validity and reliability (original) (raw)
Related papers
Critical Review of Construction Accident Causation Theories and Models: The Need for Improved Models
Construction industry is recognized and best described as an accident-prone industry, being characterized with a plethora of occupational risks. Review of literature on construction accidents revealed that a copious number of theories have been propounded over the years by different theorists, though some of these theories were criticized. In addition to this were the multifarious models developed by different proponents at different times. However, accidents are an unplanned event that are common on the building construction sites, involving materials, objects and people with attendant damages, loses and injuries. Moreover, existing models were developed to investigate the causations of accident with the aim of preventing its occurrence. Effort to analyze the existing models, with criticism in view, was the aim of this research, which was accomplished by pointing out the limitations of applicability of the models and ascertaining the need for an improved model. A major gap was disc...
Key Indicators and Dimensional Causes of Accident on Construction Sites
International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability
Diverse causes of accidents abound on construction sites, which lead to complexity and difficulty in understanding the key causes of accidents on construction sites. The effect is the increasing rate of accidents. Thus, grouping and identifying the key dimensional and sub causes of accidents is important. However, there is a dearth of research on the dimensionality and indicators of causal factors of accidents on construction sites. This paper aims to create an avenue for easy identification and understanding of the causes of accidents through the development of key indicators and dimensional causes of accidents on construction sites. Adopting a cross-sectional survey research design, three hundred questionnaires were purposely distributed to construction workers who have had experience or witness accidents on a construction sites. Two hundred questionnaires were retrieved and used for analysis representing a 67% response rate. An exploratory factor analysis was used to group and fi...
Construction Accidents and the Lesson Learnt from 1000 Cases
International Journal of Construction Management, 2003
The safety management of construction projects to prevent accidents requires a thorough understanding of the 'system mechanics' of the causation process. Generally, this paper proposes a theoretical model of accident causation for construction projects, representing the underlying and complex interaction of factors in the causation process. The theory describes multiple paths of causation, including the constraints and responses experienced by all project participants, during project conception, design and construction, which may generate situations or provoke behaviours that can lead to increased risk of accidents. It maps causal factors of accidents, including distal and proximal factors, which may be generated by project participants. These factors are identified as contributory factors leading to disturbances of plant or equipment, structures or temporary structures, operatives, materials, services, ground and other facilities. The proximal factors have been validated by analysis of 1000 records of accident investigation provided by UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE). Further study for validating the distal factors is required since current available accident records are incomplete to cover analysis of the distal factors. It will need in depth analysis of problems encountered in pre construction stage of project development. Therefore, in this paper, hypothesised individual distal factors are presented without analysis.
Identifying root causes of construction accidents
2001
Construction accident investigation techniques and reporting systems identify what type of accidents occur and how they occurred. Unfortunately, they do not properly address why the accident occurred by identifying possible root causes, which is only possible by complementing these techniques with theories of accident causation and theories of human error. The uniqueness of the construction industry dictates the need to tailor many of the contemporary accident causation models and human error theories.
In the pursuit of Health and Safety (H&S) improvement within the UK construction industry, several studies have been conducted to identify accident causal factors to enable the development of accident prevention measures. Adding to such studies, a critique of H&S literature demonstrates that construction project features (CPFs) such as the nature of project, method of construction, site restriction, project duration, procurement system, design complexity, level of construction, and subcontracting contribute to accident causation and that their contribution is through the introduction of proximal accident causal factors into the construction process. However, the extent of this contribution by these CPFs remains sparingly known and requires further investigation. The study provides this insight by indicating that the extent to which CPFs contribute to accident causation is influenced by two factors; the extent to which the proximal factors contribute to accident causation; and the extent to which the proximal factors are prevalent within the CPFs. In line with this fresh insight, an approach for determining the extent to which CPFs contribute to accident causation is put forth. The approach proposes to use a qualitative–quantitative rating scale to determine the two determinant factors and then combine them using a mathematical formula to obtain the extent to which CPFs contribute to accident causation. By this approach the grey areas in literature concerning the extent to which CPFs contribute to accident causation will be illuminated and by that contribute to improvement in construction accident prevention.
Major theories of construction accident causation models: a literature
Accidents in construction sites are unplanned occurrences involving movement of persons, objects or materials which may result in injuries, damages and losses to properties or people. The majority of accidents happen as result of unsafe acts and unsafe conditions. Since all hazards in construction workplaces are not always possible to be identified and eliminated therefore effective accident investigation programs are essential for collecting critical data. Construction accidents can be prevented just by identifying the root causes of accidents, which is possible by accident investigation techniques such as theories of accident causation theories and human errors; these theories provide explanations of why accidents happen. This paper is aimed at reviewing the most common accident causation theories which mainly focus on people variable, management aspects and physical characteristics of hazards. The intention of this paper is to enhance the overall understanding of the accident causation theories which signifies the identification of how hazards in the construction workplaces cause losses. On the contrary the weakness of these theories is that they do not offer extensive strategic guidelines for managers and supervisors for reducing risks at construction workplaces. Moreover, these theories imply the inappropriate perception that accidents in workplaces can be prevented if human errors are eliminated. Strategies need to be revised to manage the risk and workers need to be watchful of it. A great number of accidents can be prevented if the safety management system reflects both natural degradation and these intrinsic threats. The initial step in developing such system is preparing a model which shows the interaction between the accident likelihood and organizational tasks and activities in the presence of these hazards.
Accident causation model for building construction sites
2017
Construction safety at Malaysian building and construction project sites is of utmost importance due to the nature of the construction industry. Workplace safety is a care consideration for all types of organizations or stakeholders. However, statistics shows that safety at project sites is not adequately considered. Reports on site accidents represented nearly 50% of overall fatality cases across all industries. These statistics are indications of a continuing severity of building site accidents compared to others. Malaysian building site accidents are the results of various factors which are crucial to be identified. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the factors or the root causes that contribute to site accidents is essential. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop an accident causation model (ACM) at building construction projects sites, focusing on determining the significant factors that cause site accidents. These factors consisted of 93 items and they were divi...
Construction accident causality: Learning from different countries and differing consequences
2014
Fundamental questions remain about the practical value and generalizability of accident causation frameworks for explaining construction accidents. Relevant causality literature is reviewed; three research projects compared and implications of accident causation theories for accident investigation and analysis discussed, particularly for accidents with differing consequences and in different national contexts. The effectiveness of UK accident causality framework ConAC (Construction Accident Causality) in identifying occupational accident causes in different industry contexts (Australia and the USA) is evaluated; and the implications of the choice of theoretical framework in the analysis of construction accident causation considered. The ConAC framework was developed from a real-time analysis of 100 relatively minor construction accidents. The Australian study used this framework to analyse the National Coroners reports of 258 construction fatalities and the USA study used it to develop research instruments for interviews regarding 27 construction accidents of varying consequences. The results suggest that the ConAC framework is helpful for the analysis of the causes of accidents with outcomes of differing severity. The studies also suggest that it has international applicability despite differing occupational health and safety legislative contexts and industrial arrangements. Furthermore, significant learning can be obtained from considering underlying causes of accidents.
Measuring the Causes of Saudi Arabian Construction Accidents: Management and Concerns
2020
Introduction: Research indicate that construction site accidents are a global concern, and rates are rapidly increasing. In developing countries such as Saudi Arabia, safety issues are frequently ignored, and little is known about their causes. Objectives: This study aimed to shed light on factors causing accidents in Saudi Arabian construction companies. Methods: An online detailed survey, using Google Form, of accident features was distributed randomly to potential employees in 35 construction companies in Saudi Arabia, where one of the top administrators or safety officers were required to respond to the survey. It was conducted from 1st June to 31st August, 2013. The safety practices and perceptions of accident causes were assessed. Results: The response rate was 63%. Over half of the surveyed organizations encountered all of the selected accident types. While 19 (86%) of the construction companies maintained the equipment regularly, 15 (68%) had regular maintenance staff and 13...