Identification and ordering of safety performance indicators using fuzzy TOPSIS: a case study in Indian construction company

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpit Singh ◽  
Subhas C. Misra ◽  
Vinod Kumar ◽  
Uma Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Fuzzy Topsis ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Safety Equipment ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Order Assignment ◽  
Topsis Technique

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a practical framework to measure the safety performance of workers in the Indian construction industry. The key safety performance indicators are identified and ordered on the premise that the higher order assignment of an indicator implies a strong indication of an effective safety performance.Design/methodology/approachVarious indicators of safety performance in the construction industry were identified from extant literature review combined with author's personal viewpoint. The identified variables were inquired for appropriateness for the Indian construction scenario by consultation with experts. Fuzzy Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) technique was considered for the ranking of the indicators from most to least important.FindingsThe most important highlight of the study was the importance of the role of management by participating in informing workers about the safety rules and compliance toward safety measures. Proper and timely safety training to the workers and equipping them with sophisticated safety equipment for daily activities is perceived to be highly important in ensuring a safe and healthy workplace environment. Controlling the absenteeism rate reduces the burden of extra work on the employees, thereby, encouraging safe work-related behavior.Originality/valueSenior management should make safety induction programs compulsory at the time of joining of the employees. The guidelines for safety practices, rules and information about the safety equipment should be properly documented and arranged in safety manuals. Periodical drills involving visual demonstration of the safety practices should be followed to ensure safety at workplace.

Safety performance framework at construction site for self-regulation by building developers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud ◽  
Mohd Hamdan Ahmad ◽  
Yahya Mohd Yatim ◽  
Yakubu Aminu Dodo
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Construction Safety ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Response Feedback ◽  
Distinct Approach

PurposeThis study proposes a self-regulatory framework to enhance safety performance at the construction stage among building developers.Design/methodology/approachExtant literature identified 137 potential factors that influence the construction safety performances of building developers. Focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with 11 panels of experts and professionals. The Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to analyse the response feedback described in a similar paper. In this study, the survey tool used was set up with 40 variables grouped into eight latent variables in the framework, which were agreed and certified as “extremely important” by the panel. Based on random sampling, data were collected from 229 valid respondents. Structural equation modelling (SEM) technique using Smart PLS software was then used to analyse the respondent's feedback.FindingsThe results show that safety administration and processes, effective communication of safety behaviour, significantly influenced safety performance on a construction site with β values of 0.330 and 0.431 along with t values of 3.005 and 2.547 at p < 0.1, respectively. These factors, among others, provide a distinct approach to understanding and improving on-site construction safety. The study findings will potentially benefit building professionals and other stakeholders by improving awareness of safety practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe study may not have covered all possible factors that influence the construction safety performance of building developers. Also, the generalizability and transferability of the research outcome to the construction industry wide use is also limited when reference is made to the characteristics of the research respondents and/or participants. In addition, validation of the framework by five professionals is rather small.Practical implicationsTheoretically, the framework through the identified factors provide a distinct approach to understanding and improving on-site construction safety through voluntary adherence to self-regulatory standard where there are no enforceable laws and regulations to promote safety. The study findings will potentially benefit building professionals and other stakeholders by improving awareness of the health and safety practices of the construction industry.Originality/valueMany research efforts have developed frameworks and models for construction safety. However, the particularity of these frameworks to countries other than Nigeria requires similar research to be conducted to enhance the safety performance of building developers.

Is the construction site a safer place under the USACE or local government guidelines? The case of Afghanistan

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hashim Ibrahimkhil ◽  
Laith Hadidi
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to assess the safety level of construction sites in Afghanistan following the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) safety practices and compare this with other construction sites in Afghanistan that follow local government safety guidelines. The USACE oversees and funds many infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, and these projects are supposed to follow the same standards implemented in the USA, including safety standards. The local government of Afghanistan also funds infrastructure projects in Afghanistan; however, these do not follow USACE best practices. This research explores the question of whether the USACE standards provide a safer construction site. The effect of the USACE standards on safety practices in construction projects is also investigated in the Afghanistan construction industry.Design/methodology/approachA literature review and other safety checklists were used to develop a safety checklist containing 104 items (questions) in 17 categories. Subsequently, the checklist was used to assess the safety performance of 57 construction projects (25 USACE projects, and 32 governmental projects). Utilizing quantitative analysis, the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (Rho) and Mann–Whitney tests were carried out for correlation and statistical disparity between USACE and governmental projects.FindingsThe safety performance level of Afghan government projects was found to be poor in relation to other developing countries, while in USACE projects it was excellent. In addition, fire prevention, safety administration, PPE, heavy equipment, and handling and storage of materials for all types of contractors were the most overlooked aspects of Afghan Government projects.Practical implicationsThe findings clearly demonstrate the deficiencies in construction sites observed during this study and also support the adoption of USACE standards in Afghanistan projects.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the safety of construction sites in Afghanistan. The study also demonstrates the benefits of adopting international standards (USACE) to improve the safety of construction sites in a developing country such as Afghanistan. The findings provide evidence of the safety of the Afghanistan construction industry compared to other developing countries. These findings will contribute to the Afghan Government's efforts to track injury statistics.

Interactive effects of leader justice and support for safety on safety performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin R. Kaufman and ◽  
Konstantin P. Cigularov ◽  
Peter Chen ◽  
Krista Hoffmeister ◽  
Alyssa M. Gibbons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fair Treatment ◽  
Leader Support ◽  
Safety Interventions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the main and interactive effects of general and safety-specific leader justice (SSLJ) (i.e. fair treatment) and leader support for safety (LSS) on safety performance. Design/methodology/approach – Two independent samples of construction workers rate their leaders with regards to fair treatment and support for safety and report their own safety performance in a survey. Findings – In both studies, LSS significantly moderated relationships of both general and SSLJ with safety performance. In Study 1, the strength of relationship between general leader justice and safety performance increases while LSS is increased. Similar pattern was found for the relationship between SSLJ and safety performance in Study 2. Practical implications – Safety interventions targeting leadership should consider training for leader safety practices that are perceived as supportive and fair. Originality/value – The research is unique in its examination of leader justice in a safety-specific context and its interactive effects with LSS on safety performance. The present research helps to extend the reach of organizational justice theory's nomological network to include safety.

Developing a benchmarking system for architecture design firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luis Salvatierra ◽  
Miguel Ángel Gálvez ◽  
Freddy Bastías ◽  
Tito Castillo ◽  
Rodrigo Fernando Herrera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Company ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Design Firms ◽  
The One ◽  
Benchmarking System

Purpose The construction industry’s business model is mainly based on the interaction among the architecture office, the engineering office and the construction company. The performance and practices of architects’ offices, unlike those of the other actors, are difficult to characterize and there have been few studies on these issues. To better understand architects’ performance, the purpose of this paper is to develop a benchmarking tool based on real practices identified by managers of Chilean architecture offices. Design/methodology/approach The research method includes a complete literature review, followed by a study of a sample of nine Chilean architecture offices, with whom a series of four workshops was developed, to establish both performance indicators and relevant management practices. Finally, these metrics were applied in an architectural office as a pilot case. Findings Four management dimensions were defined: client management, external coordination, internal organization and human resources. Key performance indicators were divided into process, financial and quality indicators. The workshops carried out with the architectural offices demonstrated the relevance of benchmarking tools such as the one developed, which enables the systematic measurement of both management practices and performance indicators. Originality/value Although there have been several efforts to create benchmarking tools for the construction industry, few efforts have focused on architecture offices. Therefore, this research aims to explicitly identify management practices that can be used for this type of organization and to coordinate among multiple actors to find the best way to measure their performance, other than the fulfilment of schedules and budgets.

Analysing Japanese contractor activity on the basis of panel data

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Konno
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Company ◽  
Different Characteristics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing defaults and exits from public works by prime contractors of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Japanese construction industry. By analysing the data for several years as panel data, this study determines the extent of influence of changes in company characteristics on the defaults and exits. Design/methodology/approach – Using construction company evaluation (Keiei Jikou Sinsa or Keisin) data and by employing the panel binary logit random effect model, this study empirically analyses the construction industry. Findings – This study shows that defaulting and exiting companies have different characteristics. The result shows financial performance indicators, non-financial performance indicators and Keisin scores to significantly affect defaults and exits. In particular, this study finds non-financial performance indicators, such as whether a firm draws insurance, to significantly affect its likelihood to default or exit and the influence varies on the basis of insurance type. Originality/value – The feature of this study is that its analysis focuses not only on defaulting companies but also on exiting companies, defined as those that stop operating as prime contractors for public works but otherwise stay in business. In contrast to existing research, this study distinguishes between defaults and exits and analyses the factors that influence a firm following one of these two outcomes. Moreover, although Keisin data are usually used to determine whether companies qualify to enter bids for public works, they can be applied for an attribution analysis of corporate defaults and exits.

An investigation of the influence of managerial factors on industrial accidents in the construction industry using the gray FTA method

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manouchehr Omidvari ◽  
Seyyed Morteza Abootorabi ◽  
Hossein Mehrno
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Fault Tree Analysis ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Uncertain Information ◽  
Industrial Accidents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Probability Of Occurrence ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Statistical Report

Purpose – The statistical report published by the Iranian Social Security Organization in 2012 showed that, of all industries, the construction industry is associated with the highest number of work-related accidents. Furthermore, as this sector contains a large human workforce, identification of the factors contributing to the occurrence of such accidents is vital. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Furthermore, as this sector contains a large human workforce, identification of the factors contributing to the occurrence of such accidents is vital. In the present study, such factors were initially identified, after which the most important of these, managerial factors, were selected. Subsequently, the identification of the causes of the managerial factors was carried out with the use of the fault tree analysis (FTA) method and application of OR and AND entries. Findings – Since it is difficult to determine the probability of occurrence of events in this industry with certainty, and because gray numbers (numbers of which the exact value is unknown, and which represent uncertain information) have a strong relationship with human expressions, the probability of occurrence of the main undesired events was also evaluated using the gray numbers as input entries, in addition to ranking the probability of occurrence of intermediate events. Originality/value – The findings revealed that FTA using gray numbers is a useful and effective tool in risk assessment.

An empirical analysis of the exit of SMEs tendering for public works in the Japanese construction industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Konno
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Binary Logit ◽  
Entry Qualifications ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine what factors affect the exit of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from tendering for public works in the Japanese construction industry using the Keiei Jikou Sinsa or Keisin (the database for evaluation of construction companies in Japan). Design/methodology/approach – This study empirically analyzes SMEs’ exit using the binary logit model. For the empirical analysis, it uses the scores as well as financial and non-financial performance indicators of Keisin data. Findings – The Keisin scores (the total score and W score), financial performance indicators (cash flow from operations and capital) and non-financial performance indicators (having unemployment insurance and operating years) significantly affect SME exits. Although the Keisin data are used for bid entry qualifications of public works, they can be applied to a factor analysis of the exit of SMEs in the construction industry. Originality/value – As there exists little empirical analysis of the exit of SMEs globally, this study contributes to the research on this phenomenon.

scholarly journals Safety Performance in Industrial Construction: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 237-244
Author(s):  
Ahmed Senouci ◽  
Ali Jedinia ◽  
Neil Eldin
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Construction Firm ◽  
The Cost

This paper presents a case study of a safety training program developed by an international leading construction firm. The study was prompted by the continuing challenge of work- related accidents in the construction industry. Even with the measurable safety improvements in the last several decades, the construction industry still exhibits high rate of occupational fatal injuries compared to other industries. A linear regression model was developed using Microsoft Excel to determine the level of impact of the number of training hours on the resulting safety performance. The analysis confirmed that the number of training hours had a strong impact on reducing safety incidents. The coefficient of determination (R2) demonstrated that the number of training hours accounted for 81% of the variance in the incidents rate. The study results should assist in quantifying the cost-benefits of implementing safety programs, and in justifying the mandating of a certain number of training hours.

Job stress, job burnout and safety performance in the Palestinian construction industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnan Enshassi ◽  
Yasmine El-Rayyes ◽  
Suhair Alkilani
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Job Burnout ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
The Gaza Strip

Purpose – The purposes of this paper are to identify the most significant job-related stressors that influence construction project professionals’ safety, identify the form of stresses and job burnout experienced by construction professionals and investigate the impact of stress and job burnout on safety performance from the perception of construction project professionals in the Gaza Strip construction industry. Construction is characterized as a stressful industry, which influences the safety performance of construction personnel, especially when the stress transfers into burnout. Design/methodology/approach – The views of a variety of construction professionals operating in Gaza Strip were sought using a questionnaire survey. Project managers, project coordinators and site engineers were targeted. Of the 45 questionnaires distributed, 33 were returned. Data were analyzed using the relative importance index (RII), Pearson correlation and regression analysis that used one-way ANOVA test. Findings – Findings revealed that an organizational stressor is the major contributor to physical stress, behavioral stress and job burnout. In addition, the findings showed that construction professionals suffered from emotional stress and invisible burnout. Of significance, the findings revealed that job stresses and job burnout did not affect safety performance in the Gaza Strip construction industry because the first priority for most construction professionals was to maintain permanent employment and, therefore, stresses were often hidden. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by its small sample size. However, the findings represent novel results, which can be taken into consideration by construction organizations. Practical implications – The findings may help construction organizations in the Gaza Strip to understand job stressors’ factors, which affect construction project professionals to help minimize or eliminate their impact on safety performance and, hence, improve productivity in construction projects. Furthermore, the study promotes personnel health and safety and enhancement of the quality of work and construction workers’ personal life. The recommendation of this study may also apply to other developing countries. Originality/value – The study contributes to the overall body of knowledge relevant to job stress and burnout in the construction industry of developing countries. It draws attention to the interrelationship between stressors, stresses, burnout and safety performance, and it illustrates a new form of burnout that is invisible burnout.

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