Enhancing Workplace Safety Management in the Construction Industry

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 5552

Special Issue Editors

School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, 68 South Shaoshan Road, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: construction professional ethics; sustainable construction management; project assessment
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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
Interests: infrastructure management; technological innovation; project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha, China
Interests: road safety; pedestrian safety; transport engineering; highway engineering; safety; railway scheduling; highway design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The construction industry is considered one of the most hazardous industries because of its complex and dynamic workplaces. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that at least 60,000 people lose their lives in construction safety accidents each year, equating to one fatality every 10 min. In industrialized countries, the construction industry accounts for as many as 25–40% of workplace fatalities despite the sector employing only 6–10% of the workplace. Construction workers suffered a 3–4 times higher workplace fatality rate than workers in other sectors. In Hong Kong, of the 25 fatal workplace fatalities in 2014, 20 accidents (accounting for 80%) occurred in the construction industry. According to Safe Work Australia (SWA), the construction industry recorded 12% of workplace fatalities in Australia. The annual workplace fatalities in the construction industry accounted for about 21% of all workplace fatalities in 2020, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In mainland China, 734 cases of safety accidents occurred in the construction industry in 2021, with 840 workers losing their lives. Therefore, construction safety has become a global concern. Enhancing hazard control and safety management has been a top priority in the construction industry worldwide.

This Special Issue will provide insight into some of the latest developments in workplace safety management in the construction industry by presenting state-of-the-art research, developments, and innovations. Original contributions from both academia and engineering practice are encouraged. We look forward to receiving and reviewing your manuscripts for this Special Issue and discovering your insights into achieving the giant leap the sector must take!

Dr. Huihua Chen
Dr. Ming Shan
Dr. Qing’e Wang
Dr. Xiaoye Zeng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • risk management and control
  • workplace accidents
  • occupational safety and health
  • construction management
  • construction worker

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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26 pages, 1191 KiB  
Article
Coupled Analysis of Safety Risks in Bridge Construction Based on N-K Model and SNA
by Zhi Shan, Lijie Qiu, Huihua Chen and Jingshen Zhou
Buildings 2023, 13(9), 2178; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13092178 - 28 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1740
Abstract
Bridge construction accidents are often caused by a variety of factors, so it is particularly important to explore the role mechanism of bridge construction accident risk factors to effectively prevent construction safety accidents and ensure the smooth construction of bridges. We collect the [...] Read more.
Bridge construction accidents are often caused by a variety of factors, so it is particularly important to explore the role mechanism of bridge construction accident risk factors to effectively prevent construction safety accidents and ensure the smooth construction of bridges. We collect the causes of bridge construction accidents in China from 2006 to 2023, take 126 typical cases as research samples, analyze the primary risk factors of bridge construction from four aspects (human factors, equipment factors, management factors, and environmental factors), establish a library of secondary risk factors with reference to the literature research, introduce the theory of risk coupling, and analyze the coupling mechanism and types of risk factors of bridge construction accidents. The N-K random Boolean network model (N-K model) quantifies the coupling relationship between risk factors, assesses the risk level, and uses social network analysis (SNA) to analyze the network of bridge construction accident risk factors. The results indicate that the more factors involved in risk coupling, the greater the safety risks in bridge construction. Human factors are susceptible to the influence of other elements, and environmental and management factors can directly or indirectly impact other factors. In addition, operational errors, a lack of supervision and management, inadequate safety inspections, poor management personnel, and insufficient technical capabilities are also key risk factors that need to be prevented and controlled. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Workplace Safety Management in the Construction Industry)
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16 pages, 771 KiB  
Concept Paper
A Conceptual Framework to Promote the Transition to Positive Mental Health among Young Construction Workers
by Samuel Frimpong, Riza Yosia Sunindijo, Cynthia Changxin Wang, Elijah Frimpong Boadu and Ayirebi Dansoh
Buildings 2023, 13(4), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041025 - 13 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2688
Abstract
There is a need to promote the mental health and well-being of young people who work in the construction industry worldwide. Although research exists on young construction workers’ mental health, it conceptualises mental health as a disease and focuses predominantly on issues connected [...] Read more.
There is a need to promote the mental health and well-being of young people who work in the construction industry worldwide. Although research exists on young construction workers’ mental health, it conceptualises mental health as a disease and focuses predominantly on issues connected with negative aspects of mental health. In contrast, research that can inform the promotion and protection of positive mental health, which is crucial to young construction workers’ achievement of good mental health and well-being, is scarce. To improve this situation, it is necessary to develop frameworks that reconceptualise mental health as a positive phenomenon and provide a comprehensive picture of how positive mental health is achieved by young construction workers. In this study, therefore, we propose a conceptual framework and five testable propositions based on Meleis’ middle-range theory of transitions and Keyes’ Dual-Continuum Model, both of which focus on the attainment of well-being. The proposed framework wholistically captures the structure of the distal, intermediary, and proximal determinants of young construction workers’ positive mental health and the relationships among them. The framework and its accompanying propositions provide a basis for undertaking multi-level and context-specific research that can adequately inform the development of interventions and policies for promoting and protecting young construction workers’ positive mental health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Workplace Safety Management in the Construction Industry)
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