Bayesian Network Models for Evaluating the Impact of Safety Measures Compliance on Reducing Accidents in the Construction Industry

Abstract

Construction is one of the most hazardous industries worldwide. Implementing safety regulations is the responsibility of all parties involved in a construction project and must be performed systematically and synergistically to maximize safety performance and reduce accidents. This study aims to examine the level of safety compliance of construction personnel (i.e., top management, frontline supervisors, safety coordinators/managers, and workers) to gain insight into the top safety measures that lead to no major or frequent accidents and to predict the likelihood of having a construction site free of major or frequent accidents. To achieve the objectives, five safety measures subsets were collected and modeled using six combinations of five different Bayesian networks (BNs). The performance of these model classifiers was compared in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, recall, precision, F-measure, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Then, the best model for each data subset was adopted. The inference was then performed to identify the probability of the commitment to safety measures to reduce major or frequent accidents and recommend enhancement regulations and practices. While the context in this paper is the Jordanian construction industry, the novelty of the work lies in the BN modeling methodology and recommendations that any country can adopt for evaluating the safety performance of its construction industry. This research endeavor is, therefore, a significant step toward providing knowledge about the top safety measures associated with reducing accidents and establishing efficiency comparison benchmarks for improving safety performance.

A Review of Data Mining Strategies by Data Type, with a Focus on Construction Processes and Health and Safety Management

“…In risk management field 25 out of 61 papers dealt with data on the "risk management process". Into this class the 54 observations out of 202 concerned the following topics: awkward working postures [7,19]; compliance with Health and Safety standards [2,4,47]; risk assessment [21,51,53,63,66,77,79]; safe climate [44]; slope instability [10,17]; teaching-training tasks [5,6,78]; unsafe behaviours [25,72]; worker fatigue-heat stress [38,69,73]; site image [1,46]. Antwi-Afari et al [7] used deep learning networks to automatically extract relevant features with spatial-temporal dependence acquired by a wearable insole pressure system.…”

Quantitative Risk Evaluation by Building Type Based on Probability and Cost of Accidents

“…However, there was not enough data to calculate an accurate probability for unexpected events during construction, such as the occurrence of accidents [39]. Bayesian probability, a method for estimating the probability of an event that has not occurred using various probabilities related to the event [39,[43][44][45], can be used to address this problem of frequency-based probability.…”

Dominant Factors Influencing the Implementation of Safety Protocols in Building Project Sites

“…Yet, the pivotal role of safety leadership often goes unrecognized, despite its crucial significance in guaranteeing the secure execution of work practices (Stiles et al, 2021). It remains incumbent upon management to ensure the realization of the organization's safety objectives and plans, underscoring their central responsibility in this regard (Al-Kasasbeh et al, 2022).…”

“…The availability of adequate resources, spanning financial provisions, skilled manpower, and essential safety equipment, directly dictates the capacity of construction firms to execute safety measures proficiently. A pivotal strategy lies in the proactive engagement of top management, who can bolster safety endeavours by prioritizing engineering enhancements in equipment, methods, and materials, while also fostering positive shifts in human behaviour through robust education and training initiatives (Al-Kasasbeh et al, 2022). In organizations where safety commitment or resource allocation is constrained, project team members tend to relegate safety to a lower priority (Yiu et al, 2019).…”

“…This ambiguity may dissuade construction stakeholders from investing in safety measures perceived as unclear. In light of this, it is advisable for the government to mandate the appointment of a dedicated full-time safety coordinator/manager for construction sites (Al-Kasasbeh et al, 2022). These determinants collectively underscore the imperative for a more streamlined and unequivocal approach to safety regulations within the construction industry.…”