Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safe... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safety earlier in the construction project lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is used to collect data from construction sites in the USA, which performs poorly in construction safety and health, and Australia (AU), which performs well in construction safety and health. Qualitative data are collected to determine how and when safety is considered in the project lifecycle in both countries, and then the results are benchmarked to determine the benefits of addressing safety earlier in the process. Findings – Data show that addressing a potential hazard earlier in the project lifecycle has performance benefits in terms of the level of hazard control. Research limitations/implications – The processes that are identified as possibly explaining the performance difference are just based on qualitative data from interviews. Targeted research addressing the relationship bet...
One of the noted denouements of stress is the causation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and n... more One of the noted denouements of stress is the causation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. In construction, stress has been noted to be on the rise due to several antecedents such as; ambitious deadlines, workload, role conflict, poor communication, and dangerous working environments. This study therefore sought to empirically establish the contribution of organizational stressors, job- related stressors and work environment stressors to the occurrence of construction site accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. Data for the study was obtained from a questionnaire survey of 204 construction site workers in Ghana. Structural Equation Modelling was the foremost technique employed in analysing data from the survey. Data on construction related stressors showed ambitious deadlines, low salary and working in dangerous environment to be the stressors causing the most stress on construction workers in Ghana. The overall contribution of stressors to accident occurrence, dangerous occurrences and near misses achieved was 0.968 (96.8%) which denotes a very high contribution. Results from the Structural Equation Model (SEM) also showed workload to be the stressor contributing the most (79%) to accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses occurring on construction sites. The study provides a powerful insight into the failings of construction site safety measures. It empirically points to the soft side of the problem. Data for the study was collected largely from sites with less labour- intensive work and also highly skewed towards the male gender. This therefore may limit the number and type of stressors identified and used in the study. For better results, construction site health and safety officers will need to collaborate more closely with project managers to ensure stress is better managed on site since these are high contributors to incidents on site that have the potential to cause harm and/or damage.
Safety management in construction is an integral effort and its success requires inputs from all ... more Safety management in construction is an integral effort and its success requires inputs from all stakeholders across design and construction phases. Effective risk mitigation relies on the concordance of all stakeholders' risk perceptions. Many researchers have noticed the discordance of risk perceptions among critical stakeholders in safe construction work, however few have provided quantifiable evidence describing them. In an effort to fill this perception gap, this research performs an experiment that investigates stakeholder perceptions of risk in construction. Data analysis confirms the existence of such discordance, and indicates a trend in risk likelihood estimation. With risk perceptions from low to high, the stakeholders are architects, contractors/safety professionals, and engineers. Including prior studies, results also suggest that designers have improved their knowledge in building construction safety, but compared to builders they present more difficultly in reachi...
... Figure 1-1: Proposed increase in the monthly production of labor-basedcontractors in Ghana ..... more ... Figure 1-1: Proposed increase in the monthly production of labor-basedcontractors in Ghana .....6 Figure 1-2: Principal concepts used in the formulation of the FBLM.....8 Figure 2-1: The Multiplier process ...
Abstract Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. B... more Abstract Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. Because of job-specific work conditions and environmental constraints, the various construction trades (eg, roofing, siding, or framing) employ different safety standards and ...
This paper describes the use of The Learning Outcomes Template (LOT) to perform continuous self-e... more This paper describes the use of The Learning Outcomes Template (LOT) to perform continuous self-evaluation of a construction related academic program. This discussion is provided to help construction educators achieve their vision for their individual programs. Specifically documented is how the LOT is used in the horizontal and vertical integration of the Virginia Tech Building Construction curriculum. Learning Outcomes Template
Notwithstanding the professionalism and sincerity of construction educators, construction educati... more Notwithstanding the professionalism and sincerity of construction educators, construction education is backward. In the opinions of the authors a large segment (as much as 80%) of most undergraduate construction curriculum is focused on the past, e.g., general education, means, methods, and materials, estimating, project delivery, control techniques, equipment, and project management, whereas this paper proposes that the majority of construction education should focus on the future. In defense of curriculum focus on the past, this paper acknowledges that construction is an experiential profession and addresses the concerns that surround the educational aspects of practiced learning. Accreditations and fragmented education processes are at the heart of backward education models. Learning concepts that would improve the view to the future would include, among others, value-based leadership, case-based problem solving, in-service learning, and open ended problems where students can pro...
This analysis describes beliefs about work safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) among L... more This analysis describes beliefs about work safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) among Latino roofing workers, it delineates their perceptions of work environment characteristics that affect work safety and PPE use, and it describes how they experience work injuries and the consequences of these injuries. In-depth interviews were completed with 10 current and former Latino residential roofers. Interview transcripts were subjected to systematic qualitative analysis. Participants' valued productivity over safety, and this had a negative influence on their safety behavior and reduced their PPE use. They understood that roofing was hazardous. They limited use of PPE when they felt it reduced productivity and when it was uncomfortable. Work environment characteristics that affected safety included company size, the physical demands of the job, lack of training, the need for work, general life stress, and distractions at work. An injury had to result in lost work time to be c...
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
... Brian M. Kleiner, Tonya L. Smith-Jackson, Thomas H. Mills, III, Michael O'Brien,... more ... Brian M. Kleiner, Tonya L. Smith-Jackson, Thomas H. Mills, III, Michael O'Brien, Elizabet Haro. ... This project-specific plan is detailed enough to address risks posed by the project, but generic and value centric enough that all subs and volunteer work crews can support and follow ...
Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in the small residential roofing indust... more Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in the small residential roofing industry and analogous investigations are underrepresented in the literature. To address this issue, fall-protection training needs were explored through 29 semi-structured interviews among residential roofing subcontractors with respect to recommendations for the design of fall-protection training. Content analysis using grounded theory was conducted to analyze participants' responses. Results of the analysis revealed six themes related to the design of current fall-protection training: (1) barriers to safety training; (2) problems of formal safety-training programs; (3) recommendations for training implementation; (4) important areas for fall-protection training; (5) training delivery means; and (6) design features of training materials. Results of the study suggest the need for informal jobsite safety training to complement what had been covered in formalized safety training. This work ...
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safe... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safety earlier in the construction project lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is used to collect data from construction sites in the USA, which performs poorly in construction safety and health, and Australia (AU), which performs well in construction safety and health. Qualitative data are collected to determine how and when safety is considered in the project lifecycle in both countries, and then the results are benchmarked to determine the benefits of addressing safety earlier in the process. Findings – Data show that addressing a potential hazard earlier in the project lifecycle has performance benefits in terms of the level of hazard control. Research limitations/implications – The processes that are identified as possibly explaining the performance difference are just based on qualitative data from interviews. Targeted research addressing the relationship bet...
One of the noted denouements of stress is the causation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and n... more One of the noted denouements of stress is the causation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. In construction, stress has been noted to be on the rise due to several antecedents such as; ambitious deadlines, workload, role conflict, poor communication, and dangerous working environments. This study therefore sought to empirically establish the contribution of organizational stressors, job- related stressors and work environment stressors to the occurrence of construction site accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. Data for the study was obtained from a questionnaire survey of 204 construction site workers in Ghana. Structural Equation Modelling was the foremost technique employed in analysing data from the survey. Data on construction related stressors showed ambitious deadlines, low salary and working in dangerous environment to be the stressors causing the most stress on construction workers in Ghana. The overall contribution of stressors to accident occurrence, dangerous occurrences and near misses achieved was 0.968 (96.8%) which denotes a very high contribution. Results from the Structural Equation Model (SEM) also showed workload to be the stressor contributing the most (79%) to accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses occurring on construction sites. The study provides a powerful insight into the failings of construction site safety measures. It empirically points to the soft side of the problem. Data for the study was collected largely from sites with less labour- intensive work and also highly skewed towards the male gender. This therefore may limit the number and type of stressors identified and used in the study. For better results, construction site health and safety officers will need to collaborate more closely with project managers to ensure stress is better managed on site since these are high contributors to incidents on site that have the potential to cause harm and/or damage.
Safety management in construction is an integral effort and its success requires inputs from all ... more Safety management in construction is an integral effort and its success requires inputs from all stakeholders across design and construction phases. Effective risk mitigation relies on the concordance of all stakeholders' risk perceptions. Many researchers have noticed the discordance of risk perceptions among critical stakeholders in safe construction work, however few have provided quantifiable evidence describing them. In an effort to fill this perception gap, this research performs an experiment that investigates stakeholder perceptions of risk in construction. Data analysis confirms the existence of such discordance, and indicates a trend in risk likelihood estimation. With risk perceptions from low to high, the stakeholders are architects, contractors/safety professionals, and engineers. Including prior studies, results also suggest that designers have improved their knowledge in building construction safety, but compared to builders they present more difficultly in reachi...
... Figure 1-1: Proposed increase in the monthly production of labor-basedcontractors in Ghana ..... more ... Figure 1-1: Proposed increase in the monthly production of labor-basedcontractors in Ghana .....6 Figure 1-2: Principal concepts used in the formulation of the FBLM.....8 Figure 2-1: The Multiplier process ...
Abstract Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. B... more Abstract Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. Because of job-specific work conditions and environmental constraints, the various construction trades (eg, roofing, siding, or framing) employ different safety standards and ...
This paper describes the use of The Learning Outcomes Template (LOT) to perform continuous self-e... more This paper describes the use of The Learning Outcomes Template (LOT) to perform continuous self-evaluation of a construction related academic program. This discussion is provided to help construction educators achieve their vision for their individual programs. Specifically documented is how the LOT is used in the horizontal and vertical integration of the Virginia Tech Building Construction curriculum. Learning Outcomes Template
Notwithstanding the professionalism and sincerity of construction educators, construction educati... more Notwithstanding the professionalism and sincerity of construction educators, construction education is backward. In the opinions of the authors a large segment (as much as 80%) of most undergraduate construction curriculum is focused on the past, e.g., general education, means, methods, and materials, estimating, project delivery, control techniques, equipment, and project management, whereas this paper proposes that the majority of construction education should focus on the future. In defense of curriculum focus on the past, this paper acknowledges that construction is an experiential profession and addresses the concerns that surround the educational aspects of practiced learning. Accreditations and fragmented education processes are at the heart of backward education models. Learning concepts that would improve the view to the future would include, among others, value-based leadership, case-based problem solving, in-service learning, and open ended problems where students can pro...
This analysis describes beliefs about work safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) among L... more This analysis describes beliefs about work safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) among Latino roofing workers, it delineates their perceptions of work environment characteristics that affect work safety and PPE use, and it describes how they experience work injuries and the consequences of these injuries. In-depth interviews were completed with 10 current and former Latino residential roofers. Interview transcripts were subjected to systematic qualitative analysis. Participants' valued productivity over safety, and this had a negative influence on their safety behavior and reduced their PPE use. They understood that roofing was hazardous. They limited use of PPE when they felt it reduced productivity and when it was uncomfortable. Work environment characteristics that affected safety included company size, the physical demands of the job, lack of training, the need for work, general life stress, and distractions at work. An injury had to result in lost work time to be c...
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
... Brian M. Kleiner, Tonya L. Smith-Jackson, Thomas H. Mills, III, Michael O'Brien,... more ... Brian M. Kleiner, Tonya L. Smith-Jackson, Thomas H. Mills, III, Michael O'Brien, Elizabet Haro. ... This project-specific plan is detailed enough to address risks posed by the project, but generic and value centric enough that all subs and volunteer work crews can support and follow ...
Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in the small residential roofing indust... more Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in the small residential roofing industry and analogous investigations are underrepresented in the literature. To address this issue, fall-protection training needs were explored through 29 semi-structured interviews among residential roofing subcontractors with respect to recommendations for the design of fall-protection training. Content analysis using grounded theory was conducted to analyze participants' responses. Results of the analysis revealed six themes related to the design of current fall-protection training: (1) barriers to safety training; (2) problems of formal safety-training programs; (3) recommendations for training implementation; (4) important areas for fall-protection training; (5) training delivery means; and (6) design features of training materials. Results of the study suggest the need for informal jobsite safety training to complement what had been covered in formalized safety training. This work ...
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