Causal factors in construction accidents

Abstract

Although the British construction industry is one of the safest in Europe, one third of all work\nfatalities happen in construction and construction workers are six times more likely to be killed\nat work than employees in other sectors. A similar situation exists for non-fatal accidents.\nAlthough previous research has led to a good understanding of the extent and pattern of\naccidents in the construction industry, there has been only limited objective analysis of the full\nrange of contributory managerial, site and individual factors. With this background, the study\nhad the following aims:\n1. To collect rich, detailed data on the full range of factors involved in a large sample of\nconstruction accidents.\n2. Using this information, to describe the processes of accident causation, including the\ncontribution of management, project, site and individual factors in construction industry\naccidents.\nThe research used a combination of focus groups and studies of individual accidents in pursuit\nof these.