A decision support system for predicting accident risks in building projects

Abstract

Higher occupational injury and fatality rates have been recorded in the construction industry in Singapore compared to other industries, as per statistics in year 2006. New strategies are emerging to raise safety standards in the construction industry. Recently, two key thrusts were conceptualised in Singapore. These are: (1) initiation of "The Safest Employer of the Month" award and (2) initiation of a system for safety rating of contractors. This study aims at providing a tool for assessing accident risks in building projects that can underpin the implementation of these key thrusts. A triple-index model was developed and translated into a decision support system (DSS). Case studies were conducted to ascertain the accuracy and reliability of the DSS, and the results proved that the DSS makes a significant contribution to the state of the art of risk assessment. The DSS can be used by any authority, which monitors occupational safety in construction projects, for evaluating contractors on their safety performances towards deriving project accident indices. These indices can subsequently be used by potential clients for pre-qualification and tender evaluation purposes. Furthermore, insurance companies can use these indices for premium-rating purposes. © 2007 University of Sydney. All rights reserved.