Journal of the Construction Division and Management, 2016
ABSTRACT Electrocution is one of the four leading causes of worker deaths in the construction sec... more ABSTRACT Electrocution is one of the four leading causes of worker deaths in the construction sector and thus it is paramount to identify the electrocution mechanisms. This work interprets the mechanisms of an electrical accident as a chain of decision mistakes throughout the entire task process. The objective of this paper is to visualize the decision-making chains in the workplace electrical safety for construction workers. Due to construction’s “one-off” nature, the researchers narrow the decision-making chain for specific “features of work” (FOW), a group of distinctive activities possessing higher occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and requiring particular attention. By analyzing the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) electrocution reports, the authors identify five features of work and illustrate their decision-making chains. This work promotes electrical safety and injury prevention through the decision-making lens, and also contributes to the scholarly body of knowledge by introducing a comprehensive decision-making chain approach which is applicable to other safety research.
Journal of the Construction Division and Management, 2016
ABSTRACT The construction industry experiences the greatest proportion of workplace electrical in... more ABSTRACT The construction industry experiences the greatest proportion of workplace electrical injuries globally. Much research effort has gone towards analyzing this phenomenon, yet a majority of which focused on isolated elements while ignored the work system. Modern work systems are complex, within which humans interact with technology, social structures, and environments. Outcomes (including accidents and injuries) resulting from such a complex system are not attained by any system element in isolation. As a result, effective risk management requires the control over the whole sociotechnical system. The present work demonstrates such an effort in investigating sociotechnical systems. The work uses a triangulation approach in examining construction fatality reports. The findings identify three typical sociotechnical systems, reveal their system weaknesses, and provide remedial recommendations. The work contributes to the knowledge body of risk management, electrical safety, and research methodologies. The introduced triangulation approach in injury analysis and intervention is grounded in the broad concept of workplace safety, namely organizational, social, political and psychological contexts.
International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, Sep 2, 2013
Electrocution is among the &a... more Electrocution is among the 'fatal four' in US construction according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Learning from failures is believed to be an effective path to success, with deaths being the most serious system failures. This paper examined the failures in electrical safety by analysing all electrical fatality investigations (N = 132) occurring between 1989 and 2010 from the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation programme that is completed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Results reveal the features of the electrical fatalities in construction and disclose the most common electrical safety challenges on construction sites. This research also suggests the sociotechnical system breakdowns and the less effectiveness of current safety training programmes may significantly contribute to worker's unsafe behaviours and electrical fatality occurrences.
This paper draws on healthcare work systems research conducted in several healthcare facilities i... more This paper draws on healthcare work systems research conducted in several healthcare facilities in both urban and rural domains in the United States to determine the most salient organizational design and management factors that impact intervention success, either negatively or positively. Thematically, the common technical subsystem focus across studies was the goal of reducing healthcare associated infections, which cause a risk to patients, healthcare workers and other stakeholders who visit healthcare facilities. The methodology used in these studies was MacroErgonomic Analysis and Design (MEAD). The objective of this paper is to heighten the awareness of ODAM factors that improve or impede process improvement efforts. The expected outcome is to provide information to help ergonomists prepare, plan, and manage their work system interventions to maximize system performance and well-being for patients and workers.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safe... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safety earlier in the construction project lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is used to collect data from construction sites in the USA, which performs poorly in construction safety and health, and Australia (AU), which performs well in construction safety and health. Qualitative data are collected to determine how and when safety is considered in the project lifecycle in both countries, and then the results are benchmarked to determine the benefits of addressing safety earlier in the process. Findings – Data show that addressing a potential hazard earlier in the project lifecycle has performance benefits in terms of the level of hazard control. Research limitations/implications – The processes that are identified as possibly explaining the performance difference are just based on qualitative data from interviews. Targeted research addressing the relationship bet...
In this workshop paper, we examined how non-equivalent communication technologies impact on trust... more In this workshop paper, we examined how non-equivalent communication technologies impact on trust in partially distributed conceptual design teams. To incorporate the uniqueness of partially distributed team setting, we distinguished trust into two categories, which were trust towards distant partners (distant trust) and trust towards colocated partners (co-located trust). Findings revealed that media has a varying impact on distant trust depending on different combinations of communication technologies utilized in the experiment. Further research directions are discussed. Author Keywords Trust; Distant trust; Co-located trust; Partially distributed team; Computer-mediated communication; Conceptual design; ACM Classification Keywords H.5.3. Information interfaces and presentation: Group and Organization Interfaces. General Terms Human Factors; Design; Experimentation. INTRODUCTION Organizations frequently utilize partially distributed teams to overcome geographical distances, to inc...
Work-related construction safety incidents continue to be a critical societal problem. Despite co... more Work-related construction safety incidents continue to be a critical societal problem. Despite continued efforts, the industry has not seen any significant reduction in recordable injury rates in the last decade. An essential component in construction safety management is the identification of potential hazards to establish proactive physical or procedural controls that reduce safety risk exposure. Unfortunately, studies indicate that a large portion of hazards are not adequately identified or assessed, thus compromising worker safety. To address this issue, promising site-based construction hazard identification strategies were identified in a wide body of literature and potentially breakthrough strategies were developed by an expert panel of construction safety professionals in brainstorming sessions. The strategies were then prioritized based on their potential and applicability to construction using the nominal group technique, facilitated by a group-decision support system. Con...
A number of significant challenges confront effective communication in partially distributed conc... more A number of significant challenges confront effective communication in partially distributed conceptual design teams (PDCDTs), mainly due to the ill-defined and open nature of conceptual design tasks and their associated solution spaces. In contrast to colocated team members who interact face-to-face, communication difficulties among PDCDTs can intensify as a result of the physical separation of team members and their heavy reliance on communication technologies to achieve desired outcomes. Despite advances in these technologies, the ability to convey contextual and paralinguistic cues is still more limited between distant partners in comparison to face-to-face interactions. Thus, team members often experience challenges in establishing and maintaining shared understanding. In addition, partially distributed teams are more vulnerable to in-group dynamics than fully distributed or fully co-located teams. There have been substantial theoretical advances in the field of computer-mediat...
Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. Because of... more Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. Because of job-specific work conditions and environmental constraints, the various construction trades (e.g., roofing, siding, or framing) employ different safety standards and fall-protection training practices. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the specific training needs and training preferences of small roofing subcontractors. A total of 20 roofing subcontractors participated in this study. A mixed methods approach, incorporating a survey and semi-structured interviews, was utilized. Results from this study revealed that an individual's job title (i.e., his or her role on the jobsite) and the employer's existing training methods were accurate predictors of the employee's preferred training methods. This study also suggests the need for improved fall hazard awareness among roofing workers via training. Context-relevant methods and workers' preferred physical forms in receiving training were identified and found to be most effective for safety training and learning in the workplace.
Journal of the Construction Division and Management, 2016
ABSTRACT Electrocution is one of the four leading causes of worker deaths in the construction sec... more ABSTRACT Electrocution is one of the four leading causes of worker deaths in the construction sector and thus it is paramount to identify the electrocution mechanisms. This work interprets the mechanisms of an electrical accident as a chain of decision mistakes throughout the entire task process. The objective of this paper is to visualize the decision-making chains in the workplace electrical safety for construction workers. Due to construction’s “one-off” nature, the researchers narrow the decision-making chain for specific “features of work” (FOW), a group of distinctive activities possessing higher occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and requiring particular attention. By analyzing the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) electrocution reports, the authors identify five features of work and illustrate their decision-making chains. This work promotes electrical safety and injury prevention through the decision-making lens, and also contributes to the scholarly body of knowledge by introducing a comprehensive decision-making chain approach which is applicable to other safety research.
Journal of the Construction Division and Management, 2016
ABSTRACT The construction industry experiences the greatest proportion of workplace electrical in... more ABSTRACT The construction industry experiences the greatest proportion of workplace electrical injuries globally. Much research effort has gone towards analyzing this phenomenon, yet a majority of which focused on isolated elements while ignored the work system. Modern work systems are complex, within which humans interact with technology, social structures, and environments. Outcomes (including accidents and injuries) resulting from such a complex system are not attained by any system element in isolation. As a result, effective risk management requires the control over the whole sociotechnical system. The present work demonstrates such an effort in investigating sociotechnical systems. The work uses a triangulation approach in examining construction fatality reports. The findings identify three typical sociotechnical systems, reveal their system weaknesses, and provide remedial recommendations. The work contributes to the knowledge body of risk management, electrical safety, and research methodologies. The introduced triangulation approach in injury analysis and intervention is grounded in the broad concept of workplace safety, namely organizational, social, political and psychological contexts.
International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, Sep 2, 2013
Electrocution is among the &a... more Electrocution is among the 'fatal four' in US construction according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Learning from failures is believed to be an effective path to success, with deaths being the most serious system failures. This paper examined the failures in electrical safety by analysing all electrical fatality investigations (N = 132) occurring between 1989 and 2010 from the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation programme that is completed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Results reveal the features of the electrical fatalities in construction and disclose the most common electrical safety challenges on construction sites. This research also suggests the sociotechnical system breakdowns and the less effectiveness of current safety training programmes may significantly contribute to worker's unsafe behaviours and electrical fatality occurrences.
This paper draws on healthcare work systems research conducted in several healthcare facilities i... more This paper draws on healthcare work systems research conducted in several healthcare facilities in both urban and rural domains in the United States to determine the most salient organizational design and management factors that impact intervention success, either negatively or positively. Thematically, the common technical subsystem focus across studies was the goal of reducing healthcare associated infections, which cause a risk to patients, healthcare workers and other stakeholders who visit healthcare facilities. The methodology used in these studies was MacroErgonomic Analysis and Design (MEAD). The objective of this paper is to heighten the awareness of ODAM factors that improve or impede process improvement efforts. The expected outcome is to provide information to help ergonomists prepare, plan, and manage their work system interventions to maximize system performance and well-being for patients and workers.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safe... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safety earlier in the construction project lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is used to collect data from construction sites in the USA, which performs poorly in construction safety and health, and Australia (AU), which performs well in construction safety and health. Qualitative data are collected to determine how and when safety is considered in the project lifecycle in both countries, and then the results are benchmarked to determine the benefits of addressing safety earlier in the process. Findings – Data show that addressing a potential hazard earlier in the project lifecycle has performance benefits in terms of the level of hazard control. Research limitations/implications – The processes that are identified as possibly explaining the performance difference are just based on qualitative data from interviews. Targeted research addressing the relationship bet...
In this workshop paper, we examined how non-equivalent communication technologies impact on trust... more In this workshop paper, we examined how non-equivalent communication technologies impact on trust in partially distributed conceptual design teams. To incorporate the uniqueness of partially distributed team setting, we distinguished trust into two categories, which were trust towards distant partners (distant trust) and trust towards colocated partners (co-located trust). Findings revealed that media has a varying impact on distant trust depending on different combinations of communication technologies utilized in the experiment. Further research directions are discussed. Author Keywords Trust; Distant trust; Co-located trust; Partially distributed team; Computer-mediated communication; Conceptual design; ACM Classification Keywords H.5.3. Information interfaces and presentation: Group and Organization Interfaces. General Terms Human Factors; Design; Experimentation. INTRODUCTION Organizations frequently utilize partially distributed teams to overcome geographical distances, to inc...
Work-related construction safety incidents continue to be a critical societal problem. Despite co... more Work-related construction safety incidents continue to be a critical societal problem. Despite continued efforts, the industry has not seen any significant reduction in recordable injury rates in the last decade. An essential component in construction safety management is the identification of potential hazards to establish proactive physical or procedural controls that reduce safety risk exposure. Unfortunately, studies indicate that a large portion of hazards are not adequately identified or assessed, thus compromising worker safety. To address this issue, promising site-based construction hazard identification strategies were identified in a wide body of literature and potentially breakthrough strategies were developed by an expert panel of construction safety professionals in brainstorming sessions. The strategies were then prioritized based on their potential and applicability to construction using the nominal group technique, facilitated by a group-decision support system. Con...
A number of significant challenges confront effective communication in partially distributed conc... more A number of significant challenges confront effective communication in partially distributed conceptual design teams (PDCDTs), mainly due to the ill-defined and open nature of conceptual design tasks and their associated solution spaces. In contrast to colocated team members who interact face-to-face, communication difficulties among PDCDTs can intensify as a result of the physical separation of team members and their heavy reliance on communication technologies to achieve desired outcomes. Despite advances in these technologies, the ability to convey contextual and paralinguistic cues is still more limited between distant partners in comparison to face-to-face interactions. Thus, team members often experience challenges in establishing and maintaining shared understanding. In addition, partially distributed teams are more vulnerable to in-group dynamics than fully distributed or fully co-located teams. There have been substantial theoretical advances in the field of computer-mediat...
Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. Because of... more Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in residential construction. Because of job-specific work conditions and environmental constraints, the various construction trades (e.g., roofing, siding, or framing) employ different safety standards and fall-protection training practices. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the specific training needs and training preferences of small roofing subcontractors. A total of 20 roofing subcontractors participated in this study. A mixed methods approach, incorporating a survey and semi-structured interviews, was utilized. Results from this study revealed that an individual's job title (i.e., his or her role on the jobsite) and the employer's existing training methods were accurate predictors of the employee's preferred training methods. This study also suggests the need for improved fall hazard awareness among roofing workers via training. Context-relevant methods and workers' preferred physical forms in receiving training were identified and found to be most effective for safety training and learning in the workplace.
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