INVESTIGATING THE COMMON INADEQUACIES IN CONSTRUCTION RISK ASSESSMENT: A MIXED METHOD APPROACH

Abstract

Severe accidents could occur on construction sites if hazards are not identified and properly mitigated with effective control measures. Being part of the risk management framework in the Workplace Safety and Health Act, risk assessment is a legal requirement and it must be conducted for all workplaces, including all construction worksites in Singapore. However, industry practitioners had frequently expressed concerns on the adequacy of RA. This study aims to describe the inadequacies of RA, contributory factors of the inadequacies and the possible impacts of safety performance. The study included interviews with eight professionals and four construction sites observations. Qualitative evaluation of 36 RA documents collected from different construction-related companies was also conducted to understand the inadequacies in more detail. Results have established that the inadequacies in RA are inclusive of (1) Lack of customization in RA; (2) Insufficient details stated in RA; (3) Limitation of hazards and control measures identified; (4) Biological and psychosocial hazards types are not often mentioned in RA and lastly (5) Inaccuracy in allocating severity and likelihood scores. In addition, RA team members were essential in affecting the adequacy of RA where their skills and attitude are more crucial in drafting RA. While compared to experience, this research suggests that it is more critical for the RA assessors to have the right set of skills, or be assisted by a consistent assessment framework that is standardized across industry. Through the site observations, workers’ behavior could also affect the effectiveness of RA. Recommendations are also provided where further improvement on the adequacy and effectiveness of RA could be adopted such as improve RA team members’ skills, increase commitment towards safety, RA preparation – such as adopting a good practice of listing the hierarchy of control - and the cooperation from workers in construction site – such as educate them to understand the importance of RA.