Factor analysis-based studies on construction workplace safety management in China

Identification of critical causes of construction accidents in China using a hybrid HFACS-CN model

Construction safety is of significance since construction accidents can result in loss of property and large numbers of casualties. This research aims to identify the critical causes of construction accidents by introducing a hybrid approach. The hybrid approach is developed to identify the critical causes of construction accidents by combining the human factors analysis and classification system (HFACS) model with complex network (CN) theory. A total of 863 construction accident cases were collected, and 46 causal factors were identified. Subsequently, the accident causal network was established, and six critical causal factors were extracted. The hybrid analysis approach is demonstrated with a real construction accident case, and the results demonstrate that the hybrid approach could better identify the critical causal factors. Consequently, this research enables the enhancement of understanding the HFACS framework and CN theory, as well as a contribution to safety management in the construction industry at different levels.

Contributions of safety critical success factors and safety program elements to overall project success

Implementing a safety program is an essential step toward improving safety performance. This research aims to develop an overall project success (OPS) model for building projects through investigating the direct and indirect impact of safety critical success factors (CSFs) on OPS mediated by safety program elements. First, interviews were carried out with experts in the Iraqi construction industry, and then a questionnaire survey was utilized to obtain feedback from construction professionals. The results revealed that 20 elements are needed to confirm and improve effectiveness. These elements were categorized into four constructs: management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard and prevention control, and health and safety training. The analysis confirms that the relationship between safety CSFs and OPS are mediated by safety program elements. These findings offer a glimmer of hope for implementing safety programs in the Iraqi construction sector, and can also be used to enhance safety performance.

Organizational factors and specific risks on construction sites

INTRODUCTION

This study develops an empirical test of two theoretical models using the approach of Structural Equation Model (SEM) to test the relationships between specific organizational factors of safety management system (SMS) and specific risk variables.

METHOD

Two SEM models with two and four latent variables, respectively, and 10 observed risk variables were used to identify the strongest relationships that may lead to an accident on site. A random sample of 474 construction sites were visited and assessed in Spain from 2003 to 2010. Most of the samples were small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which is the predominant type of company in the Spanish construction industry. To assess the risk on sites and get the measurements of the variables included in the models, the validated method CONSRAT (Construction Sites Risk Assessment Tool) was used. After estimating the proposed models, an adequate fit was obtained for both of them.

RESULTS

Results provide empirical evidence that: (a) the factor "Resources on site" is more determinant in explaining influences on risk variables because of their influence on all risk variables (Model 1); (b) the factor "Site structure complexity" (which includes structure and organization, and safety resources available on site) has a stronger effect on risk variables than other factors related to intrinsic characteristics of the work, site, or companies (Model 2).

CONCLUSIONS

These results mean that the complexity and resource factors that depend on companies are those that have the greatest impact on risks, which makes it possible for companies to undertake the appropriate risk control measures.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

These results can help construction firms obtain earlier information about which organizational elements can affect future safety conditions on site, improve those elements for preventing risks, and consequently, avoid accidents before they occur.

A Mathematical Modeling of Evaluating China’s Construction Safety for Occupational Accident Analysis

China has seen a rapid increase in its construction industry in recent years; however, safety conditions of their workers have not improved owing to low education levels and increasing age trend of construction personnel. This study analyzed construction occupations in China from 2010 to 2018 using descriptive analysis, ANOVA and factor analysis. The results showed May, July and August as the deadliest months during the peak of construction activities in the year. No particular day was established as having a higher risk than other days in the week. The most vulnerable times of the day are from 9 AM to 10 AM and 2 PM to 4 PM. A mathematic modeling based on factor analysis, which is the construction safety evaluation score equation, was developed to illustrate regional distribution, and Qinghai Province ranked the worst in construction safety in China. Problems such as poor labor and environment safety management procedures and false reporting or concealed reporting of construction accidents were revealed. Suggestions for improving China’s construction safety were also generated. This study enriched statistical analysis results of construction accidents in China and evaluation modeling with an abundant database will serve as a reference for stakeholders and researchers to improve the construction safety situation in China.

The Influence of Human-Organizational Factors on Falling Accidents From Historical Text Data

This paper firstly proposes a modified human factor classification analysis system (HFACS) framework based on literature analysis and the characteristics of falling accidents in construction. Second, a Bayesian network (BN) topology is constructed based on the dependence between human factors and organizational factors, and the probability distribution of the human-organizational factors in a BN risk assessment model is calculated based on falling accident reports and fuzzy set theory. Finally, the sensitivity of the causal factors is determined. The results show that 1) the most important reason for falling accidents is unsafe on-site supervision. 2) There are significant factors that influence falling accidents at different levels in the proposed model, including operation violations in the unsafe acts layer, factors related to an adverse technological environment for the unsafe acts layer, loopholes in site management in the unsafe on-site supervision layer, lack of safety culture in the adverse organizational influence layer, and lax government regulation in the adverse external environment layer. 3) According to the results of the BN risk assessment model, the most likely causes are loopholes in site management work, lack of safety culture, insufficient safety inspections and acceptance, vulnerable process management and operation violations.

System Dynamics Analysis of Construction Safety Risk considering Existing Railway Lines

Existing railway line (ERL) construction safety has received significant attention during the past decades due to the high accident rate and the difficulty of progress development under the limited synthesis construction time schedule (SCTS). However, the previous literature is dominated by the construction safety of new railway lines, while research on construction safety of ERLs is limited. This paper analyzed the interactions and causal relationships between construction safety risk (CSR) and multiple factors and classified feedback loops. Hence, a system dynamics model was developed, and a series of tests were conducted to simulate the evolution of CSR under different group environments. The results indicated that (1) the CSR considering ERLs is significantly relevant to the implementation degree of SCTS. For situations where there are more delays and more schedule pressure, construction safety accidents tend to have a higher level. (2) Work efficiency is negatively related to construction safety accidents probability. The increase of work intensity could reduce schedule pressure in the short term but could increase construction safety risk in a long time. Applying both appropriate work efficiency and work intensity may achieve an acceptable result. This paper adds to the knowledge of construction safety risk management in terms of implementation and offers lessons and references for future construction safety management considering ERLs.

Competency framework to integrate lean construction and integrated project delivery on construction megaprojects: towards a future of work global initiatives in multinational engineering organisations

Purpose

Built environment organisations face global challenges between business units, especially since the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has profoundly disrupted the construction industry worldwide, including the management of construction megaprojects (CMPs). This research aims to develop a competency framework, for global integrated delivery (GID) transformative initiatives and future of work (FOW) global initiatives, to manage integration between lean construction (LC) practices and integrated project delivery (IPD) on CMPs in contemporary multinational engineering organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

“Mixed research methods” involves a two-stage quantitative and qualitative research approach. In the context of CMPs, stage one consisted of a qualitative research methodology comprising a literature review to examine competencies, COVID-19 impacts, responses and key drivers (KDs) to integrate LeanIPD&GID; stage one outcomes propose a conceptualisation of LeanIPD&GID, a competency framework and future of work (FOW) global initiatives. Stage two involved an empirical questionnaire survey for a set of 30 KDs arranged into five-factor clusters (FCs), 226 respondents from 23 countries with an extensive cosmopolitan experience; analysis adopted structural equation modelling (SEM), descriptive and inferential statistics, percentage scoring analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and eigenvalues.

Findings

In the context of CMPs, stage one outcomes delivered a conceptualisation of LeanIPD&GID, a proposed competency framework and FOW global initiatives. Stage two concluded that the most significant KDs are “collaboration in design, construction works and engineering management,” “coordination and planning of construction work,” “senior organisational management support,” “boosting implementation of LC, and integrating project delivery” and “earlier and precise 3D visualisation of designs”. building information modelling (BIM) adoption in the MENA region is higher than LC; the second is still taking its first steps, while IPD has little implementation. LeanBIM is slightly integrated, while LeanIPD integration is almost not present.

Originality/value

The research findings, conceptualised LeanIPD&GID principles, a proposed competency framework and FOW global initiatives, provided future research streams and directions; the study has provided a competency framework and FOW global initiatives for effective practical strategies for enhancing integration of LeanIPD&GID transformative initiatives on CMPs and will allow project key stakeholders to place emphasis on boosting LeanIPD&GID KDs.

A reference framework for health and safety in the workplace in China and the European Union: A comparative study

BACKGROUND

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) has a direct repercussion on the work, social and economic environments. The regulatory frameworks developed by each country are a basic aspect of OHS action policies.

OBJECTIVE

This study analyses and compares the differences in OHS regulations in China and the European Union (EU) to identify weaknesses or gaps in the Chinese regulations.

METHODS

Firstly, an overview of the OHS situation in the EU and China is carried out to provide context. Following this, a comparison of OHS regulations is conducted by searching different European and Chinese databases. The comparison focuses on several areas: socio-economic issues, accident rates, and the OHS regulatory framework.

RESULTS

Since 1989, the EU has produced a broad and comprehensive OHS regulatory framework. Almost 30 years later, its positive impact can be seen in EU accident rates, indicating that this framework might be used as a reference for other territories or countries. China has a complicated system with over 280 OHS legislative regulations, in the form of laws, regulations, rules, integrated regulations, etc. that lead to a mixture and repetition of contents.

CONCLUSIONS

The Chinese OHS legislation is still being constructed and complemented, since the two main Chinese OHS laws were approved during the last decade. This contrasts with the mature European framework, as it has been modified and completed over the years.

Critical Success Factors of Safety Program Implementation in Construction Projects in Iraq

The construction sector is recognized as one of the most dangerous industries in the world. The situation is worsening in Iraq, as a result of a lack of attention to safety in the building industry and the poor implementation of safety programs. This research aims to identify the critical safety factors (CSFs) of safety program implementation in the Iraqi construction industry. The CSFs were first identified from a review of literature before being verified by construction practitioners, using semi-structured interviews. A questionnaire, based on the verified CSFs, was distributed to construction practitioners in Iraq. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to analyze the quantitative data, and the results show that the CSFs can be categorized into four constructs: worker involvement, safety prevention and control system, safety arrangement, and management commitment. Following that, partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was executed to establish the connection between safety program implementation and overall project success. The result confirms that safety program implementation has a significant, positive impact on project success. This article contributes to knowledge and practice by identifying the CSFs for implementing safety programs in the Iraqi construction industry. The successful implementation of a safety program not only improves safety performance, but also helps to meet other project goals.

Model for Improvement of Occupational Health and Safety in Micro and Small Construction Enterprises

This paper presents research on qualitative parameters conducted in order to develop a model for the improvement of occupational health and safety (OHS) in micro and small construction enterprises (MSEs). Identification of factors and defining their significance enables improvements of OHS in the observed enterprises. The aim of the model is to assist construction MSEs in evaluating their qualities, pinpointing their deficiencies and ways to maximize the improvement to OHS performances. A panel of 20 experts defined the factors through an iterative process of the Delphi method. The research resulted in a model consisting of 42 OHS factors grouped into 10 categories. Model validation was carried out in the Republic of Serbia. The validation confirmed the applicability of the model as well as the relevance of factors which were determined by the panel of experts.

Exploring Precursors of Construction Accidents in China: A Grounded Theory Approach

The implementation of precursor management can improve safety performance of construction projects through effectively managing the correlations between construction accidents and their precursors. However, a system of comprehensive knowledge about what precursors mean within the context of construction safety is still lacking. This study aims to capture the nature of precursors in the construction industry and explore the process of a precursor event evolving into a construction accident to fill this gap. Based on 135 construction accident reports in China, this study adopts grounded theory to identify different types of accident precursors and explore their interactions with the development of the accident. An indicator system of precursors for construction accidents was developed, which included two major categories of precursors: behavioral factors and physical factors and five minor categories of precursors: individual behavior factors, organizational driving factors, objective physical factors, construction environmental factors, mechanical equipment factors. In addition, a precursor management strategy that includes the three stages of identification, response and effectiveness testing was established. The results of the study reveal the correlations between precursors and construction accidents, which can promote construction professionals' better understanding about precursors and improve their capabilities of managing precursors in practice.

Developing A Case-Based Reasoning Model for Safety Accident Pre-Control and Decision Making in the Construction Industry

Case-based reasoning (CBR) has been extensively employed in various construction management areas, involving construction cost prediction, duration estimation, risk management, tendering, bidding and procurement. However, there has been a dearth of research integrating CBR with construction safety management for preventing safety accidents. This paper proposes a CBR model which focuses on case retrieval and reuse to provide safety solutions for new problems. It begins with the identification of case problem attribute and solution attribute, the state of hazard is used to describe the problem attribute based on principles of people's unsafe behavior and objective's unsafe state. Frame-based knowledge representation method is adopted to establish the case database from dimensions of slot, facet and facet's value. Besides, cloud graph method is introduced to determine the attribute weight through analyzing the numerical characteristics of expectation value, entropy value and hyper entropy value. Next, thesaurus method is employed to calculate the similarity between cases including word level similarity and sentence level similarity. Principles and procedures have been provided on case revise and case retain. Finally, a real-world case is conducted to illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed model. Considering the high potential for pre-control and decision-making of construction safety accident, the proposed model is expected to contribute safety managers to take decisions on prevention measures more efficiently.

A Bayesian Network Model for Reducing Accident Rates of Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) Work

Accidents in Repair, Maintenance, Alteration, and Addition (RMAA) work have become a growing concern, in recent years. The repair and maintenance works of electrical and mechanical (E&M) installations involves a variety of trades, a large number of practitioners and a series of high-risk activities. The uniqueness of E&M work, in the RMAA sector, requires a discrete and specific research to improve its safety performance. Understanding the causal relationships between safety factors and the number of accidents becomes crucial to develop a more effective safety management strategy. The Bayesian Network (BN) model is proposed to establish a probabilistic relational network between the causal factors, including both safety climate factors and personal experience factors that have influences on the number of accidents related to E&M RMAA work. The data were collected using a survey questionnaire, involving a hundred and fifty-five E&M practitioners. The BN results demonstrated that safety attitude and safety procedures were the most important factors to reduce the number of accidents. The proposed BN provides the ability to find out the most effective strategy with the best utilization of resources, to reduce the chance of a high number of E&M accidents, by controlling a single factor or simultaneously controlling, both, the safety climate and personal factors, to improve safety performance.

Identification of Safety-Related Opinion Leaders among Construction Workers: Evidence from Scaffolders of Metro Construction in Wuhan, China

This study aimed to reveal opinion leaders who could impact their coworkers’ safety-related performance in Chinese construction teams. Questionnaires were distributed to 586 scaffolders in Wuhan to understand their opinions about influencing their coworkers, serving as the foundation for a social network analysis to identify the potential opinion leaders among workers. A further controlled trial with the identified workers was conducted to select real opinion leaders by comparing their influence on others’ safety-related behavior, followed by an association analysis to profile these opinion leaders. Two main sources of opinion leaders were identified: foremen and seasoned workers. Implementing interventions through opinion leaders resulted in better safety-related behavior performance. Furthermore, compared with education level, the association analysis results indicated that one’s practical skills and familiarity with respondents was more important in the formulation of opinion leaders. This research introduces the concept of opinion leaders into construction safety and proposes an approach to identify and validate opinion leaders within a crew, thus providing a tool to improve behavior promotion on sites, as well as a new perspective for viewing interactions among workers.

Supporting a Culture of Health in the Workplace: A Review of Evidence-Based Elements

OBJECTIVE

To identify and evaluate the evidence base for culture of health elements.

DATA SOURCE

Multiple databases were systematically searched to identify research studies published between 1990 and 2015 on culture of health elements.

STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA

Researchers included studies based on the following criteria: (1) conducted in a worksite setting; (2) applied and evaluated 1 or more culture of health elements; and (3) reported 1 or more health or safety factors.

DATA EXTRACTION

Eleven researchers screened the identified studies with abstraction conducted by a primary and secondary reviewer. Of the 1023 articles identified, 10 research reviews and 95 standard studies were eligible and abstracted.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Data synthesis focused on research approach and design as well as culture of health elements evaluated.

RESULTS

The majority of published studies reviewed were identified as quantitative studies (62), whereas fewer were qualitative (27), research reviews (10), or other study approaches. Three of the most frequently studied culture of health elements were built environment (25), policies and procedures (28), and communications (27). Although all studies included a health or safety factor, not all reported a statistically significant outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

A considerable number of cross-sectional studies demonstrated significant and salient correlations between culture of health elements and the health and safety of employees, but more research is needed to examine causality.

Accidents of Electrical and Mechanical Works for Public Sector Projects in Hong Kong

A study on electrical and mechanical (E&M) works-related accidents for public sector projects provided the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the causes of accidents by analyzing the circumstances of all E&M works accidents. The research aims to examine accidents of E&M works which happened in public sector projects. A total of 421 E&M works-related accidents in the “Public Works Programme Construction Site Safety and Environmental Statistics” (PCSES) system were extracted for analysis. Two-step cluster analysis was conducted to classify the E&M accidents into different groups. The results identified three E&M accidents groups: (1) electricians with over 15 years of experience were prone to ‘fall of person from height’; (2) electricians with zero to five years of experience were prone to ‘slip, trip or fall on same level’; (3) air-conditioning workers with zero to five years of experience were prone to multiple types of accidents. Practical measures were recommended for each specific cluster group to avoid recurrence of similar accidents. The accident analysis would be vital for industry practitioners to enhance the safety performance of public sector projects. This study contributes to filling the knowledge gap of how and why E&M accidents occur and promulgating preventive measures for E&M accidents which have been under researched.

Evaluating the Impacts of Health, Social Network and Capital on Craft Efficiency and Productivity: A Case Study of Construction Workers in China

The construction industry has been recognized, for many years, as among those having a high likelihood of accidents, injuries and occupational illnesses. Such risks of construction workers can lead to low productivity and social problems. As a result, construction workers’ well-being should be highly addressed to improve construction workers’ efficiency and productivity. Meanwhile, the social support from a social network and capital (SNC) of construction workers has been considered as an effective approach to promote construction workers’ physical and mental health (P&M health), as well as their work efficiency and productivity. Based on a comprehensive literature review, a conceptual model, which aims to improve construction workers’ efficiency and productivity from the perspective of health and SNC, was proposed. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the construction workers’ health, SNC and work efficiency and productivity in Nanjing, China. A structural equation model (SEM) was employed to test the three hypothetical relationships among construction workers’ P&M health, SNC and work efficiency and productivity. The results indicated that the direct impacts from construction workers’ P&M health on work efficiency and productivity were more significant than that from the SNC. In addition, the construction workers’ social capital and the network can indirectly influence the work efficiency and productivity by affecting the construction workers’ P&M health. Therefore, strategies for enhancing construction workers’ efficiency and productivity were proposed. Furthermore, many useable suggestions can be drawn from the research findings from the perspective of a government. The identified indicators and relationships would contribute to the construction work efficiency and productivity assessment and health management from the perspective of the construction workers.

A fuzzy synthetic evaluation analysis of operational management critical success factors for public-private partnership infrastructure projects

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factor groupings of a set of 19 critical success factors (CSFs) associated with managing public-private partnership (PPP) projects at the operational stage and examine the most significant factor grouping using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) technique.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopted a comprehensive review of the pertinent literature and an empirical questionnaire survey geared towards targeted international PPP experts. Survey responses were analysed using factor analysis and FSE modelling.

Findings

The results from factor analysis show five CSF groupings (CSFGs) for managing operational PPPs. These are proficient service delivery and adequate legal structures, simplified payment mechanism and consistent project monitoring, effective contract variations management, suitable stakeholder management mechanism and environmental health and safety control. The FSE modelling shows that “simplified payment mechanism and consistent project monitoring”, is the most critical CSFG. The operational management CSFs under this grouping are acceptable level of user fee charges, efficient and well-structured payment mechanism, consistent project performance monitoring and long-term demand for public facility.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation lies in the low sample size that was used for analysis; however the years of research and/or industrial experience of respondents and the wide coverage of different cultural backgrounds (18 countries from five regions globally) contribute to the authenticity of the survey responses. Future research should adopt interviews and case study analysis to unravel CSFs in managing operational PPPs.

Originality/value

The findings of this study are considerably beneficial to both public authorities and private operators. They inform practitioners of the strategic procedures and measures to employ in optimising the operational performance of PPP projects. Further, the methodology employed allows project management experts to reliably select the operational management CSFs for their projects.

Endogenous Factor Analysis: The Carbon Performance of Public Projects in China

This study investigates how the endogenous factors of public projects affect carbon performance. Taking the logical framework approach, a research model and hypotheses are proposed to evaluate the effects of endogenous project factors, including human resources, funding, materials, and project management methodology on project carbon performance. Questionnaires were distributed to project professionals in China and a structural equation model was deployed to analyze these effects. The results show that funding, materials, and project management methodology have a significant influence on public project carbon performance, whereas human resources have no significant effects. Recommendations on how to improve carbon performance are provided.

Effects of organizational complexity and resources on construction site risk

INTRODUCTION

Our research is aimed at studying the relationship between risk level and organizational complexity and resources on constructions sites. Our general hypothesis is that site complexity increases risk, whereas more resources of the structure decrease risk. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach was adopted to validate our theoretical model.

METHOD

To develop our study, 957 building sites in Spain were visited and assessed in 2003-2009. All needed data were obtained using a specific tool developed by the authors to assess site risk, structure and resources (Construction Sites Risk Assessment Tool, or CONSRAT). This tool operationalizes the variables to fit our model, specifically, via a site risk index (SRI) and 10 organizational variables. Our random sample is composed largely of small building sites with general high levels of risk, moderate complexity, and low resources on site.

CONCLUSIONS

The model obtained adequate fit, and results showed empirical evidence that the factors of complexity and resources can be considered predictors of site risk level.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Consequently, these results can help companies, managers of construction and regulators to identify which organizational aspects should be improved to prevent risks on sites and consequently accidents.

Strategies for improving safety performance in construction firms

Over the years many prevention management practices have been implemented to prevent and mitigate accidents at the construction site. However, there is little evidence of the effectiveness of individual or combined practices used by companies to manage occupational health and safety issues. The authors selected a sample of 1180 construction firms and 221 individual practices applied in these companies to analyze their effectiveness reducing injury rates over a period of four years in Chile. Different methods were used to study this massive database including: visual analyses of graphical information, statistical analyses and classification techniques. Results showed that practices related to safety incentives and rewards are the most effective from the accident rate viewpoint, even though they are seldom used by companies; on the other hand, practices related to accidents and incidents investigation had a slight negative impact on the accident rate because they are frequently used as a reactive measure. In general, the higher the percentage of prevention practices implemented in a strategy, the lower the accident rate. However, the analysis of the combined effect of prevention practices indicated that the choice of the right combination of practices was more important than just the number of practices implemented.

Identifying behaviour patterns of construction safety using system archetypes

Construction safety management involves complex issues (e.g., different trades, multi-organizational project structure, constantly changing work environment, and transient workforce). Systems thinking is widely considered as an effective approach to understanding and managing the complexity. This paper aims to better understand dynamic complexity of construction safety management by exploring archetypes of construction safety. To achieve this, this paper adopted the ground theory method (GTM) and 22 interviews were conducted with participants in various positions (government safety inspector, client, health and safety manager, safety consultant, safety auditor, and safety researcher). Eight archetypes were emerged from the collected data: (1) safety regulations, (2) incentive programs, (3) procurement and safety, (4) safety management in small businesses (5) production and safety, (6) workers' conflicting goals, (7) blame on workers, and (8) reactive and proactive learning. These archetypes capture the interactions between a wide range of factors within various hierarchical levels and subsystems. As a free-standing tool, they advance the understanding of dynamic complexity of construction safety management and provide systemic insights into dealing with the complexity. They also can facilitate system dynamics modelling of construction safety process.

Mitigating construction safety risks using prevention through design

INTRODUCTION

Research and practice have demonstrated that decisions made prior to work at construction sites can influence construction worker safety. However, it has also been argued that most architects and design engineers possess neither the knowledge of construction safety nor the knowledge of construction processes necessary to effectively perform Construction Hazards Prevention through Design (CHPtD).

METHOD

This paper introduces a quantitative methodology that supports designers by providing a way to evaluate the safety-related performance of residential construction designs using a risk analysis-based approach. The methodology compares the overall safety risk level of various construction designs and ranks the significance of the various safety risks of each of these designs. The methodology also compares the absolute importance of a particular safety risk in various construction designs.

RESULTS

Because the methodology identifies the relevance of each safety risk at a particular site prior to the construction stage, significant risks are highlighted in advance. Thus, a range of measures for mitigating safety risks can then be implemented during on-site construction.

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY

The methodology is specially worthwhile for designers, who can compare construction techniques and systems during the design phase and determine the corresponding level of safety risk without their creative talents being restricted. By using this methodology, construction companies can improve their on-site safety performance.

Factors affecting the implementation of green specifications in construction

Green specifications constitute one of the important elements in green construction. New sustainability requirements and changing priorities in construction management have spurred the emerging green specifications to a faster pace of development. A cross-sectional survey has been conducted in Hong Kong in 2007 to identify principal factors leading to the success of preparing green specifications. Based on extensive construction management literature, 20 variables concerning sustainable construction were summarized. Using the Mann-Whitney U-test, the subtle differences between stakeholders in specifying construction work have been detected even with the high consistency of the responses among the groups. Moreover, five independent factors for successful specification of green construction have been categorized by factor analysis. They are related to (1) green technology and techniques, (2) reliability and quality of specification, (3) leadership and responsibility, (4) stakeholder involvement, and (5) guide and benchmarking systems. Whilst the first and fourth factors are generally more important, different stakeholder groups have different emphases. The results of the survey have been validated against established principles.