Identification and Association of High-Priority Safety Management System Factors and Accident Precursors for Proactive Safety Assessment and Control

Abstract

The performance of a safety management system (SMS) is influenced by a large number of internal and external factors. Loss of control of these factors can create unsafe conditions, which can eventually lead to worksite accidents. Identification and prioritization of these factors is crucial for optimal SMS performance. However, because of the complex and dynamic nature of accident occurrence, identification and control of critical SMS factors and accident precursors remains difficult in practice. This paper proposes the use of a risk-rating approach for understanding the complexity between SMS factors and accident precursors from a holistic perspective. This approach allows for not only the identification of high-priority SMS factors and accident precursors, but also the evaluation of associations between these groups. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, risk ratings for a comprehensive set of SMS factors and accident precursors were collected from 96 construction professionals in Alberta, Canada. The results demonstrated that contract schedule, skilled worker availability, and change orders were the highest-priority SMS factors in the region. Results also found the highest-priority accident precursors to be workers’ failure to identify hazards, congestion, and workers’ neglect of hazards. Associations between factors and precursors were also examined and were found to be present between several SMS factors and accident precursors. Overall, this method allows practitioners to identify high-priority accident precursors and to determine which SMS factors are associated with these precursors. These findings can assist practitioners in determining which SMS factors should be controlled if certain accident precursors are observed and, conversely, which accident precursors are most likely to occur if critical SMS factors are present on site.