Major accident factors for effective safety management of highway construction projects

Because of the variety of construction works and jobsite environments, research on highway construction safety is lacking. The purpose of this study is to identify accident factors by work type for highway construction projects through analysis of accidents occurring in Korea from 1997-2008. Analysis of variance and cross-tabulation analysis were used to identify statistically significant differences among nine factors and 248 variables in six work types. This analysis shows that contributing factors and variables to injuries vary depending on time of accident, work, and accident environment. The results outline trends of construction injuries by highway work. The results can be used to identify high-risk types of accidents, measure potential risks, improve safety training, and develop prevention plans for each work type under various work environments. The study shows that most accidents in highway construction fell into six construction work types. Because the relationships among contributing environment classification factors to accidents are identified, the factors can be considered to reduce the possibility of accidents by controlling closely related factors. This research can be used to develop an effective safety plan for highway construction projects.