RELATIONSHIP OF PRODUCTIVITY AND SAFETY

Abstract

The two areas that the construction industry is most concerned with are safety and productivity. Very often, individuals considered them as separate entity. However, there were various researches conducted which showed there is indeed a relationship between productivity and safety. This paper aims to establish the relationship and also identify critical factors that will affect the productivity and safety of a project. Interviews were conducted with various personnel from three case studies and they were asked to rank a list of factors that will affect safety positively and how they will affect productivity on a scale of 1-5. Similarly, they were also asked to rank a list of factors that affect productivity negatively and its impacts on safety on a scale of 1-5. Through the ratings, it was established that there is indeed a positively correlated relationship between safety and productivity and the most critical factors affecting them are the “manpower” factors. All three case studies selected are all discussed with relevance to existing condition in Singapore.