Managerial Skills for Managing Construction Safety

Sunindijo, Riza Yosia; Zou, Patrick X.W.; Dainty, Andrew R.J.

doi:10.9744/ced.19.2.63-72

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The project management team is responsible for developing a practical safety plan, allocating adequate resources, monitoring and assessing site safety conditions, initiating and attending regular safety meetings and training, and coordinating all project stakeholders to ensure their active involvement in managing safety (Mohurd and Aqsiq, 2011a). Due to the high level of risk and complex multistakeholder environments in subway construction projects, the project management team's capabilities, experience and accountability is likely to have a more significant impact on safety management performance (Sunindijo et al , 2017). Therefore, selecting project management team members with the right skill profile is a key success factor to influence safety.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying critical factors influencing the safety of Chinese subway construction projects

Zhang

Sunindijo

Loosemore

et al. 2020

ECAM

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PurposeThe image of the construction industry in China, as in many other countries, is tarnished by its poor safety record. With the rapid development of subway systems in Chinese urban areas, construction workers are being exposed to new risks which are poorly understood and managed. Subway construction projects are large scale and scattered over many construction sites, and involve numerous stakeholders and sophisticated technologies in challenging underground environments. Accident rates are high and have significant economic and social consequences for the firms and people involved. Addressing the gap in research about the safety risk in these projects, the purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of the factors influencing the safety of Chinese subway construction projects with the overall objective of reducing accident rates.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted with 399 subway construction professionals across five stakeholder groups. Follow-up interviews were also conducted with five experienced experts in safety management on subway projects to validate the results.FindingsIt was found that the eight most critical factors perceived by stakeholders to influence safety risks on Chinese subway projects are: project management team; contractor-related factors; site underground environment; safety protection during the use of machines; safety management investment; site construction monitoring and measurement; hazard identification and communication; and use of machines in all stages. This indicates that in allocating limited project resources to improve the safety of subway projects, managers should focus on: developing safety knowledge and positive attitudes in leadership teams; formulating effective risk management systems to identify, assess, mitigate, measure and monitor safety risks on site; improving communications with stakeholders about these risks and effectively managing plant, equipment and machinery.Originality/valueThis research contributes a new multi-stakeholder perspective to the lack of safety research in Chinese subway construction projects. The research findings provide important new insights for policymakers and managers in improving safety outcomes on these major projects, producing potentially significant social and economic benefits for society and the construction industry.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying critical factors influencing the safety of Chinese subway construction projects

Zhang

Sunindijo

Loosemore

et al. 2020

ECAM

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“…Therefore, this result argues that construction project manager competencies in the contracting companies working in Gaza Strip ultimately influence the employees' safety performance by influencing the reported accidents & work injuries in work site. In this line, Sunindijo et al (2017) revealed that construction industry has a reputation as being one of the most dangerous industrial sectors, with accident, injuries and fatality rates being constantly much higher than the all-industry average.…”

Section: Respondent's Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Projects Management Managers’ Competencies and Employees’ Performance of Construction Industry at Gaza Strip

El-Sawalhi

Lafy

2021

IJSCET

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Projects managers‟ competencies are one of the factors that have the greatest impact on the employees' performance in construction projects. However, many construction companies appear to give insufficient attention to the issues related to improving the competencies of their project managers. This study investigated the relationship between projects managers' competencies and employees' performance under the setting of Gaza construction firms. It aims to identify the competencies required for the contractor's projects managers that contribute towards the employees' performance and exploring the most effective methods for developing the construction project manager competencies. A questionnaire survey was used. A total of 110 structured questionnaires were distributed targeting project managers, 94 valid questionnaires to be used for further discussions with a response rate of 85.5%. The results show that the employees' performance in construction projects is highly affected by the competences of the project manage. It is found that the top three measures of construction employees' performance according to its influence by the competencies of the project‟s managers are; „productivity‟, „compliance with work instructions‟ and „working after regular working time‟. Whereas to influence the employees' performance, the top three most important competencies needed for project manager were: „communication skills‟, „team management‟ and „problem solving‟. The best methods to develop the project manager's competencies are „on-the job training‟, „off-the job training‟ and „Observing experienced others‟.

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“…Additionally, it entails investing social exchange constructs in a safety context, in a bid to increase an understanding of elements integral in influencing safety perceptions and behaviour (Hofmann et al, 2003). Indeed, the studies focussing on safety leadership and supervision help stakeholders be aware of the potential of PCS theory and the effect it has on construction safety studies (Love et al, 2018;Gunduz and Ahsan, 2018;Sunindijo et al, 2017;Hofmann et al, 2017;Zohar, 2010). The simultaneous focus on both parties that play a role in contributing to occupational safety context is innovative and offers another option to the traditional approach used in safety evaluation (Zohar, 2010).…”

Section: Implications For Construction Researchersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite top-level managers aiming for zero accidents, safety performance studies from (Sanni-Anibire et al, 2020) acknowledge that the construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries when compared to other labour-intensive industries (Gunduz and Ahsan, 2018;Xia et al, 2018;Sunindijo et al, 2017). Based on accidents, deaths and injuries, global statistical data ranks the construction industry in the top ten.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the construction industry adopting safety improvement systems, technology, standards and other features, it has failed to bring considerable improvement to safety performance. Notwithstanding automation of production, integrated processes or the complex management system that are pervasive in construction, it is people who remain in charge of operating systems or processes (Sunindijo et al, 2017;Lingard, 2013). Consequently, the interest of contemporary researchers and practitioners mainly lies in organizational and social factors that are capable of bringing a positive change and improved performance safety standards to the industry (Lingard et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Managerial implications for construction practices as a consequence of using a psychological contract of safety

Newaz

Jefferies

Davis

et al. 2020

ECAM

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PurposeDespite many studies that aim to argue, develop and position the concept of psychological contracts, few have explored how a psychological contract may be applied to safety in the construction industry. A psychological contract of safety (PCS) describes an individual's conceptualized belief that relates to mutual safety obligations, drawn from explicit or implicit promises of associated workers or its supervisor. This study investigates safety practices on construction sites through the lens of the widely applied and researched psychological contract theory emanating from a business paradigm.Design/methodology/approachThe process of validating a PCS scale within the construction industry required the collection of data from a mega-construction project in Sydney, Australia. A quantitative methodology was used to collect data from 352 construction workers through a survey instrument designed to reveal their perception of procedures, policies and practices. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to ensure data reliability and data validity of the survey findings together with goodness of fit of PCS model.FindingsThe findings showed the presence of a PCS in a construction safety setting examined. A two-factor model underlying aspects, namely employer and employee obligations was recommended since the four-factor model, including relational and transactional components of both parties' safety obligations, could not be validated due to the discriminant validity associated with the particular constructs.Originality/valueConceptualizing the extant PC theory as a framework from which to leverage safety management initiatives brings a new approach to construction safety studies, revealing the influential role of supervisors in interpreting safety practices. The research aimed to identify safety obligations, which are influential in the development of PSC scale, further the research provides an explanation as to how a PCS may be contextualized in the construction industry.

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Managerial Skills for Managing Construction Safety

Cited by 18 publications

References 15 publications

Identifying critical factors influencing the safety of Chinese subway construction projects

Identifying critical factors influencing the safety of Chinese subway construction projects

The Relationship between Projects Management Managers’ Competencies and Employees’ Performance of Construction Industry at Gaza Strip

Managerial implications for construction practices as a consequence of using a psychological contract of safety

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