Exploring the Link Between Early Constructor Involvement in Project Decision-Making and the Efficacy of Health and Safety Risk Control

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blismas N ; Kleiner B ; Lingard H ; Pirzadeh P ; Wakefield R
• Description:
  The position of the constructor in communication networks, including those before the commencement of construction, is likely related to the quality of work health and safety (WHS) outcomes realized. In order to examine the extent of this relationship, 23 cases were drawn from 10 participating construction projects in Australia and New Zealand. Social network analysis was used to mathematically and graphically model information exchanges in 13 of these cases. For each case, the quality of WHS risk control outcomes was measured. This measurement was based on an established 'hierarchy of control' in which risk controls are classified in descending order of effectiveness from the elimination of a hazard (the most effective) to the reliance on personal protective equipment (the least effective). Social network metrics were calculated reflecting: (1) the ratio of actual links among parties in the project network relative to the maximum number of links possible (network density); and (2) the extent to which the constructor communicated with other parties in pre-project planning and design stages (the constructors' degree centrality). Network metrics were compared for cases in which the risk control scores were higher and lower than average. The results showed a significant difference in constructors' pre-construction degree centrality for cases with high and low risk control scores. The results provide preliminary evidence as to the potential WHS benefits of ensuring that constructors' knowledge about construction methods, materials, WHS risks and means of risk control, are integrated into pre-construction decision-making. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Decision Making Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Construction Planning And Design Construction Industry Constructor Involvement Decision Making Health And Safety Hierarchy Of Controls Occupational Safety And Health Risk Control Risk Management Worker Safety
• ISSN:
  0144-6193
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  32
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061978
• Citation:
  Constr Manage Econ 2014 Sep; 32(9):918-931
• Contact Point Address:
  Helen Lingard, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001 Australia
• Email:
  helen.lingard@rmit.edu.au
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Construction Management and Economics
• End Date:
  20150131
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d259464475375d65b0bd95ade3443de4d89b92d39c8370c1fc0b604f80b33c893ebcdd99a88a5a3065c6b4e88f5755409881c66939ef186428c3c7b207f2b133
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225306/cdc_225306_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 209.37 KB ]