Human Safety Risks and Their Interactions in China’s Subways: Stakeholder Perspectives

Abstract

Although human factors contribute greatly to accidents, a systematic examination of such factors is lacking from the literature on subway safety. The aim of this study was to analyze human safety risk factors in subway construction in China and their interactions from a broad project-stakeholder perspective. Questionnaires were used to investigate cause–effect relationships among 42 factors identified from the literature and expert interviews. Weighted-network analysis showed that accidents and safety failures resulted from strong interactions of risk factors associated with multiple stakeholders. Owners’ risk factors acted as a central risk source, amplifying risk and producing significant ripple effects on the global risk network. Many factors were associated with general contractors, but these resulted largely from risky acts by other stakeholders. These findings suggest that stakeholders should shift from separate risk mitigation to collaborative risk responses. This study improves understanding of the interactions of risk factors associated with diverse stakeholders. It also establishes a weighted-network approach to risk analysis that captures risk interactions more accurately than unweighted networks.