Accident Causal Factors on the Building Construction Sites: A Review

Abstract

The concerns for cost, quality and timely delivery of projects have been in existence from time immemorial, whereas the passion for these should be extended to safe execution of site works by the construction participants, as safety of life is very paramount. However, high level of commitment that is essential for the safe execution of site works has become a taboo. Hence, a plethora of accidents takes place on the site ranging from falls from height, contact with working tools, vehicle-related, slip and trip, collapse, exposure to harmful substances, to lifting and handling object accidents. It is pertinent to know that, responsibility for accidents on site cuts across all project participants (clients, consultants, contractors, workers), as well as the construction site environment. Recognition of the construction participants and site environmental factors as agents of accident is the focus of this research. Through extensive review of literature, a copious number of factors were identified and subsequently grouped under five factors as client-related, consultant-related, contractor-related, construction workers-related, and construction site-related. However, there has been a dearth of research in the grouping of accident contributing factors. The identification and understanding of these factors will go a long way in mitigating construction accidents, coupled with proven measures taken in positively addressing them. Efforts to prevent these causative factors include inter alia elimination of hazards from design, effective safety management, adequate planning of activities and employment of seasoned professionals by the client. The contractors are to embark on staff safety auditing, set up safety committees, conduct regular training for staff, use innovative technology, uphold housekeeping and report accident occurrence, while strict adherence to safety regulations must be adopted by all construction operatives.

Analysis of occupational accidents in the construction industry with regards to selected time parameters

“…• analysis of the mechanisms of the occurrence of occupational accidents [1,2], • analysis of the causes of accidents at work [3][4][5], • identi cation of direct and indirect factors which affect the accident rate [6][7][8] • analysis of the accident rate with regards to factors that generate costs [9][10][11].…”

Analysis of the Influence of Socio-Economic Factors on Occupational Safety in the Construction Industry

“…The identification and analysis of accident factors is an important area of scientific research, as it is the basis for the proper design and planning of training and preventive actions, which in turn leads to reduced accidents at work [10,[12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

“…The authors of the studies published in [12] emphasize that all participants of a project, as well as the environmental conditions in which the construction is carried out, are responsible for occupational accidents. In papers [13,14], a significant number of accident factors were identified, which were then classified into five groups related to: clients, consultants, contractors, construction workers and construction sites.…”

Marker-Based Structural Displacement Measurement Models with Camera Movement Error Correction Using Image Matching and Anomaly Detection

“…Collapse accidents at construction sites are continuously occurring [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. According to Heinrich’s law, a small local displacement occurs in a structure before a large-scale collapse accident occurs [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”