Empirical evaluation of construction safety: Insights from economic trends, national cultures and workplace injury rates

Globalization has facilitated rapid growth in construction markets via advancement in communication, materials, work methods, technology and transportation. Construction industry output has a strong positive correlation with US business conditions; however, also one of the most dangerous industries in which to work. The aim of this dissertation is to empirically evaluate the relationships between US business cycles and safety performance over long time periods, examine the relationship between national culture and risk tolerance, and explore the validity and reliability of traditional safety performance measures. The association between US business cycles and construction safety outcomes in conjunction with declining incidence of non-fatal injuries lend evidence that the industry is benefiting from efforts provided for safety. However, preventing fatal injuries may require more effort than that afforded for preventing non-fatal injuries. At the individual worker level, risk tolerance is influenced and linked by societal and personal determinants, i.e. affective associations, control beliefs, safety culture, and risk-taking attitudes. Differences and distinct groupings were observed in risk tolerance. The empirical evaluation of TRIR revealed that: (1) TRIR as a point measurement is statistically stable but not significant because of high random variation; (2) TRIR interpretation can be improved by using Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution that provide simplistic definition of an Extreme TRIR; (3) GEV exceedance levels could facilitate the identification and interpretation of safety events that require immediate attention; and (4) No discernable association between fatalities and TRIR. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and practice of construction safety by providing insights to help organizations, industry leaders and safety professionals gain visibility and understanding of their safety performance and productivity. Organizations can broaden their suite of safety management systems by considering the changing economic environment and workers’ demography to better understand, identify and manage safety risks. Methods and results are useful for research on macro-level analyses of safety and evaluation of cause and effect relationships affecting safety outcomes. Policymakers can leverage the insights from the macro-level perspective of economic trends, national cultures and workplace injury rates to reform safety policies with greater focus on situational awareness, risk tolerance and fatality prevention.