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Frontiers of Engineering Management

ISSN 2095-7513

ISSN 2096-0255(Online)

CN 10-1205/N

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Front. Eng    2016, Vol. 3 Issue (3) : 275-282    https://doi.org/10.15302/J-FEM-2016035
ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT REPORTS
State of Practice of Construction Site Safety in the USA
Fei Dai(),Yoojung Yoon,Hota V. GangaRao
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6103, USA
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Abstract

The construction industry has long been plagued with a high number of fatalities in the USA. Much safety improvements have been made after the USA Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970. However, this industry still suffers from a disproportionately high rate of work-related fatalities in comparison to other industries. To provide a holistic view of current construction safety practices and corresponding performance, this paper reviews statistics of construction fatalities and their causes. It then presents efforts led to prevent work-related accidents and injuries by the federal safety agencies and the industry. Additionally, advantages and limitations of current practices in terms of construction safety have been discussed along with promotion of aspects in construction work environment.
Keywords workplace safety      construction industry      safety strategy      accident prevention      review work     
Corresponding Author(s): Fei Dai   
Online First Date: 14 November 2016    Issue Date: 22 December 2016
 Cite this article:   
Fei Dai,Yoojung Yoon,Hota V. GangaRao. State of Practice of Construction Site Safety in the USA[J]. Front. Eng, 2016, 3(3): 275-282.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/10.15302/J-FEM-2016035
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/Y2016/V3/I3/275
Fig.1  Occupational fatalities by industry in 2014 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).
Fig.2  Construction population in the USA, 2005–2014 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015b).
Fig.3  Number and rate of fatalities in the USA construction industry, 2005–2014 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015b, 2015c).
Fig.4  Distribution of leading hazards that causes construction fatalities, 2011–2013 (Center for Construction Research and Training, 2016).
Fig.5  NIOSH research focuses on construction safety.
No. Safety practices implemented in all sampled projects
1 Health and safety manual
2 Specific safety prequalification
3 Subcontractors participation in general contractor’s orientation and training
4 Subcontractors safety standards compared with general contractor
5 Safety leadership training for foremen
6 Management review of craft-worker training
7 Safety during constructability reviews
8 Safety in scheduling
9 Written site-safety plan
10 Heavy-equipment inspection and approval program
11 Lock-out tag-out policy
12 100% hard-hat policy
13 Stop-work policy
14 Emergency response plan for the project
15 Job-hazard analyses
16 Workers involvement in hazard assessment
17 Safety goals development and communication
18 Safe-behavior reward and recognition
19 Near-misses investigation
20 Foremen involvement in accident investigation
21 Foremen involvement in hazard assessment
22 Regular scheduled meetings for safety personnel
Tab.1  Safety Practices Implemented in All Sampled Projects (Hinze, Hallowell, & Baud, 2013)
No. Safety practices that differentiate safety performance
1 Site-specific safety orientation for all managers
2 Foreman involvement in safety policy
3 On-site medical facilities
4 Worker-to-worker-observation program
5 Minimum ratio of workers to safety professionals
6 First-aid log is maintained
7 Owner’s review and approval of safety plan
8 Worker involvement in perception surveys
9 100% steel-toed boots policy
10 Participation of all contractors in safety meetings
11 Contract sets minimum ratio of safety supervisors to workers
12 Formal safety review team determines disciplinary actions
13 Contract imposes work-hour restrictions for workers
14 Safety considered during the design phase
Tab.2  Safety Practices That Differentiate Safety Performance (Hinze, Hallowell, & Baud, 2013)
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