Mapping the network of causes of construction occupational accidents : an empirical study in Hong Kong

Abstract

Construction occupational accidents present serious problems globally, including in Hong Kong. It is not feasible to address each of the many factors causing these accidents separately due to the significant labour and financial resources required. Rather, determining the relationships among these factors is essential to pinpointing the underlying causes and efficiently allocating resources for solutions. The causes of construction occupational accidents have been the subject of several studies, but the linkages between these elements have received less attention. By using an Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) technique to examine the intricate web of variables influencing construction accidents in Hong Kong, this study seeks to fill this gap. A thorough evaluation of the literature led to the identification of a number of contributing factors, such as the absence of safety programmes, poor safety awareness, company cost, performance pressure, and others. Still, the majority of research has concentrated more on the importance of individual components than the relationships between them. In order to overcome this constraint, questionnaires were sent to people working in different positions within construction companies in order to filter the variables, and safety specialists were interviewed in order to ascertain the connections between them. Based on the collected empirical data, it was shown that company costs had the highest driving power in contributing to construction accidents in Hong Kong. This is followed by deficiencies in safety management practices within companies, including insufficient safety training and orientation, supervision, and performance pressure. The collected empirical data is not entirely in line with the previous studies on the identification of root causes. Although low worker safety awareness is acknowledged as a contributing element, it is not considered the primary cause because other underlying issues can also indirectly raise worker safety awareness, such as sufficient safety training and education offered, which teach knowledge on potential risks in the workplace as well as the usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (Hutchinson et al., 2022). On the other hand, company costs are regarded as the root cause of accidents. This is because insufficient financial resources impede the adoption of essential safety protocols in construction firms, such as recruiting safety professionals to give talks to staff or offering supervision to the performance of the workers. Policymakers, construction companies, and project managers can benefit greatly from the findings of this study in terms of improving safety procedures in the construction sector of Hong Kong. More funding should be set aside to address the underlying causes of accidents, worker safety education and training should be improved, and construction sites should promote a culture of safety. Through the process of prioritizing interventions according to the interdependencies among various aspects, stakeholders can efficiently reduce risks and foster a more secure work environment.