Factors associated with the severity of construction accidents: The case of South Australia

Abstract

While the causes of accidents in the construction industry have been extensively studied, severity remains an underexplored area. In order to provide more evidence for the currently limited number of empirical investigations on severity, this study analysed 24,764 construction accidents reported during 2002-11 in South Australia. A conceptual model developed through literature used personal characteristics such as age, experience, gender and language background. It also employed work-related factors such as size of organization, project size and location, mechanism of accident and body location of the injury. These facilitated demonstrating why some accidents result in only a minor severity while others are fatal. Factors such as time of accident, day of the week and season were not strongly associated with accident severities. When the factors affect the severity of accidents are well understood, high risk factors can be singled out and specific preventive measures could be developed.

Occupational Accident Patterns and Prevention Measures in Construction Sites in Nairobi County Kenya

“…This is not surprising as construction industry is male dominated and research undertaken in Singapore on construction fatalities between June 2006 -May 2008 showed that 100% of the deceased workers were male [58]. Previous studies suggested that that male workers were represented heavily in severe and fatal accidents than female workers and injuries to female workers were mild and moderate consequences [59,60,61,62]. This pattern was believed to be reflection of the differences in tasks undertaken by male and female workers on construction sites.…”

“…Moreover, Cheng et al [60] argued that older workers (workers aged above 45) were involved only in few accidents compared to young and middle aged workers, but their sufferings were much severe, including fatalities, specifically for workers aged over 60.…”

Trend Analysis of Construction Industrial Accidents in Korea from 2011 to 2015

“…Tables 4 and 5 shows that, as workers age, IRs (mean; <29 = 0.194, 30-39 = 0.336, 40-49 = 0.606, 50-59 = 1.602, >60 = 1.926/100 workers) and MRs (mean; <29 = 0.5.300, 30-39 = 7.208, 40-49 = 12.728, 50-59 = 22.758, >60 = 52.776/100,000 workers) increase in Korea's construction industry. Similarly, Arquillos et al [27] and Dumark et al [25] reported that the severity of an accident increase as the age of the construction worker increases. Generally, older workers are more likely to be injured compared to younger workers because of their declining mental and physical abilities [12,28].…”

“…Lipscomb et al [21] presented the rates of treated injuries from the emergency department in U.S. construction sector were significantly higher among male workers (230/10,000 full-time workers) than that of female workers (65/10,000 full-time workers). In addition, male workers showed a high percentage (more than 90%) of injuries in several studies including frequency survey of occupational injuries [22][23][24][25][26]. Males are more likely to be employed in outdoor jobs or dangerous tasks compared to females [24,26].…”

Occupational Health and Safety (Ohs) Management Vis-À-Vis Different Phases of Construction Activities

“…Training plays an important part and has a positive impact on safety administration [33]. It is critical to apply and implement relevant H & S practices and impart effective training so that all workers involved in the project recognize and follow the regulations during work [10] [12] [31]. Provision of a community service with regional OH models along with training, lower the insurance premiums for the employer.…”