What is it about?
Worldwide occupational injury rates in the construction sector are high compared with all other major industries. Unlike other industries such as manufacturing, construction is composed of a transient workforce, where project personnel from different cultures and backgrounds are expected to work together in a constantly changing work organisation and structure. This article proposed a model to trace the causes of construction accidents. The model classifies the accidents in construction mainly arising from main four causes: ‘equipment/materials’, ‘workers’, ‘environment’ and ‘management’. The model is applied to a road construction project in Oman to trace the root causes of accidents. It can also be applied to construction projects in other sectors such as building or process plant construction.
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Why is it important?
This research work has described results of research where a model has been developed and applied to help identify the principal root causes of accidents on a major highway construction project in the Sultanate of Oman. The proposed model for identifying the root causes could be a useful tool for construction organisations in Oman to know the root causes of accidents on their projects. This will help them to develop strategies towards reducing the number accidents and thus reduce the cost associated with accidents. By using this model, construction organisations will be able to pinpoint the key areas which cause most of the accidents. Understanding the main causes of construction accidents will aid construction organisations in directing their resources to high risk areas to improve their safety performance.
Perspectives
Overall occupational accidents results into 4% of economic burden of the the total world GDP. Construction is always risky due to outdoor operations, work at height, complicated on-site plant machinery and equipment operations coupled with the worker’s attitudes and behaviors towards safety. It is important to know the root causes of accidents so that can be avoided in future. In this article, the data 623 accidents from a construction project was analyzed and a model was developed which relate these accidents to the main causes such as 'equipment/materials’, ‘workers’, ‘environment’ and ‘management'. An understanding of the main causes of accidents will help the top management of construction organization to develop strategies to encounter these cause in their future projects.
Dr. Tariq Umar
Kingston University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Causes of construction accidents in Oman, Middle East J of Management, January 2018, Inderscience Publishers,
DOI: 10.1504/mejm.2018.088725.
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