Organizational behaviour and safety management in the construction industry

This research paper examines the relationship between organizational theory and accident causation/prevention theory as applied in practice to the construction industry. Part of the research work consisted of an information survey of groups of various categories of workers, managers and owners to establish their perceptions of accident causation. The findings indicate that the emphasis of current accident prevention measures in force is more suited to mechanistic organizations than to organic types of which the construction industry is one. The conclusions reached are that the emphasis must be concentrated more on education and training and the spread of information on the hazards of the working environment and their avoidance.     

Developing a model to measure the effectiveness of safety management systems of construction sites

In Singapore, the construction industry had implemented safety management system (SMS) and SMS auditing for about 10 years now, but the improvement in safety standard is not significant. In response to the need to improve the effectiveness of SMS and SMS audit, the aim of the paper is to propose a method to develop and test the tools that auditors may use to assess the effectiveness of a construction firm's SMS. The research methodology adopted in this study consists of 15 steps. Surveys were conducted; safety experts were consulted and invited to express their views, either through interviews or workshops. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Factor Analysis were used to assist in identifying the most crucial factors and attributes affecting safety. The model was developed by means of the multi-attribute value model (MAVT) approach. It was also subject to validation via site audits. Using the model, a Construction Safety Index (CSI) can be calculated. It is concluded that the CSI can act as an objective measure of different sites for management and appraisal purposes.     

香港建筑业伙伴关系管理模式的案例分析及启示

伙伴关系作为国际建筑业界一种先进的工程管理方式和理念,能够突破传统合约的限制,增强沟通,减少冲突,进而提高项目效益.本文对伙伴关系的内涵、背景及其在香港建筑业中的应用情况做一综述,并结合3个实际项目,介绍伙伴关系实施的过程,并从项目各方角度分析了其实施效果和体会.而后又对比介绍了香港建筑业界各方对伙伴关系实施的观点.最后总结伙伴关系管理模式在香港建筑业中的应用特点,并针对内地建筑业现状提出了实施建议.     

谈建筑业管理中安全管理的重要性

结合近年来建筑市场存在或潜在的问题,对工程勘探、设计、施工全过程进行了分析,并从工程质量安全、现场施工安全、加强安全防控三个方面总结论述了各类建筑事故出现的原因和应对方法,以确保建筑工程顺利进行。     

谈建设领域安全生产管理制度建设

从建设工程安全生产管理出发,分析了建立健全建设项目安全生产管理制度的意义和必要性,针对施工现状论述了安全生产制度不够完善所带来的事故隐患,从多方面指出应加强和健全建设工程安全生产管理制度,以强化建筑施工安全生产管理,从而促进建筑业安全健康有序发展。     

A comparative study on adopting human resource practices for safety management on construction projects in the United States and Singapore

Good project management outcomes include completing projects to an acceptable level of quality, within budget and on time. As construction accidents may cause project delays, safety management plays an important role in a project's timely completion. This study aims to undertake a comparative study of HR practices adopted for safety management on construction projects in the United States (US) and Singapore and to investigate the relationship between HR practices and construction safety management outcomes (severity and frequency of accidents). The research method included exploratory interviews and industry surveys of contractors in the US and Singapore by email and post. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Compared to Singapore contractors, the results show that US contractors' project management practices place significantly more emphasis on highlighting organizational safety values to new workers and taking working experience into account during the selection process. On the other hand, Singapore contractors place more emphasis on providing appropriate rest areas for workers. Many HR practices are significantly correlated with safety management outcomes. These include: taking age into consideration during selection process and giving feedback to workers about their unsafe behaviour. It is recommended that project managers adopt relevant HR practices that lead to more effective safety management on construction projects.     

The baby and the bathwater: research methods in construction management

This note is written in response to Seymour, D., Crook, D. and Rooke, J. (1997) Construction Management and Economics, 15 (1), 117-19. We argue against their narrow focus on the interpretative approach. Also, Seymour et al. are incorrect in implying that the ‘rationalist approach’ is necessarily quantitative. Our contention is that the choice of research approach in construction management depends on the nature of the problem. However, whatever choice of approach is adopted, it is important that the problem and associated key concepts are defined clearly and that the methods used, underlying assumptions and limitations are transparent and defensible. It is difficult to argue in favour of any single approach based purely on epistemological grounds as what constitutes knowledge is still an unsolved philosophical issue. Since construction management is a practical subject, we suggest that the choice of approach should be a pragmatic one: the approach that is likely to generate practical solutions should be adopted. Seymour et al.'s suggestion serves only to limit our choice of research tools. Furthermore, a lot of the research issues in construction management are practical problems which involve generalization of experience and formulation of hypothesis that can generate empirically testable implications. For problems of this nature, testability of hypothesis and reproducibility of results are important, and the naturalist approach (which is labelled ‘rationalist paradigm’ in Seymour et al.) of discovering causal relationship is more likely to produce general practical solutions. However, this does not deny the value of the interpretative approach, as it may be more suitable for certain types of problem. Moreover, in practice, an understanding of human behaviour ‘from within’ often provides useful insights for formulation of empirically testable hypotheses, despite the philosophical incompatibility of the interpretative and naturalist approaches.     

施工现场外保温施工的防火安全管理分析

通过阐述某节能改造施工现场发生的火灾事故,着重分析了保温施工方面存在的问题,并提出了一系列施工现场保温施工的安全防范措施,以提高施工现场保温工程防火管理水平,确保施工现场保温作业的施工安全。     

伙伴关系管理模式在香港建筑业的应用现状及程序

伙伴关系作为国际建筑业界一种先进的工程管理方式和理念,能够突破传统合约的限制,增强沟通,减少冲突,进而提高项目效益.本文在阐述伙伴关系的内涵、简要背景的基础上,分析了伙伴关系在香港建筑业中的应用情况、实施效果和一般实施程序,总结了其在香港建筑业中的实施特点并提出了在国内实施伙伴关系的借鉴意见.     

Matching housing supply and demand: an empirical study of Hong Kong's market

This paper has the objective of improving on the issue of forecasting new housing construction, and highlights differences between space demand and investment demand in housing markets. Further, it indicates how these differences will affect construction decisions. The first step is to identify the factors associated with estimating residential property prices in Hong Kong, based on a demand-supply adjustment process. Specifically, this study examines the role of population growth, transaction volume, inflation and interest rate in determining house prices. Second, based on these estimations, a methodology is developed to estimate the investment demand schedule and new construction of residential property.     

市政设施养护行业安全管理体系的思考与构建

拟通过分析养护工程的特点,结合所在养护维修单位长期安全管理中的一些经验,探讨分析了养护维修单位安全生产体系的构建,并结合具体实例,阐述了安全生产管理模式的具体内容,以期促进该行业安全管理体系的建立和推广。     

Exploring safety management challenges for multi-national construction workforces: a UK case study

Large construction projects frequently operate with multi-national workforces, utilizing migrant workers to provide both skilled and unskilled labour. Multi-national workforces are also brought together through joint ventures, as companies from different countries collaborate and share their expertise to construct large and complex construction projects. A multi-national joint venture in the UK provides the case study for an examination of the safety management challenges found on such projects. Whilst language and communication issues amongst workers are typically primary concerns, here they have not been prioritized. Instead, findings are presented that illuminate more nuanced and unquantifiable problems that faced the safety management team. An ethnographically informed approach was mobilized, with the lead researcher spending three years on the site with the safety team gathering data. Analysis revealed several challenges: problems with non-UK company compliance with UK legislation and standards; differences in working practices amongst both non-UK workers and their managers; differences associated with national cultures; and problems of poor worker welfare. It is suggested that awareness of these challenges should inform both the way in which such projects are initially contracted, as well as the development of more sophisticated safety management systems that better support multi-national construction projects in practice.     

浅谈建筑施工企业安全管理与安全评价

针对建筑施工企业生产特点,简单介绍了安全生产和安全生产管理及安全评价的定义,具体阐述了安全评价工作的积极作用和重要意义,以期促进我国安全生产、推广安全评价的应用。     

谈建筑工程施工现场消防安全及管理

阐述了建筑工程施工现场消防安全状况,总结了消防安全存在的问题,并就其影响因素作了分析,进而提出了消除安全隐患的对策,加强消防安全管理,确保施工顺利进行。     

浅谈海上桩基施工安全管理

针对海上桩基施工特点,对海上桩基施工的危险源及预防预控措施进行了分析,并从桩基施工工序方面对海上桩基施工的安全监控进行了论述,从而保证了海上桩基施工的安全。     

Issues of health and safety in the Irish construction industry

A useful review of issues of health and safety linked to legislation, as well as highlighting the most serious types of accidents identified in the survey.     

Issues of health and safety in the Irish construction industry

A useful review of issues of health and safety linked to legislation, as well as highlighting the most serious types of accidents identified in the survey.     

A survey of the health and safety conditions of apartment buildings in Hong Kong

A high-density built environment poses challenges to the idea of sustainable development in respect of health (e.g. SARS outbreak) and safety (e.g. fire and structural problems). To examine the seriousness of the high-density problem, this study aims to survey the health and safety performance of apartment buildings in a densely populated city, Hong Kong, using a simplified assessment scheme. An assessment scheme based on a hierarchy of building performance indicators concerning the quality of: (a) architectural design, (b) building services design, (c) the surrounding environment, (d) operations and maintenance, and (e) management approaches was developed. One hundred forty (140) apartment buildings were surveyed and assessed through site inspections, desk searches, and interviews. A performance analysis was conducted to examine and compare the overall health and safety performance of the buildings. We found that there were considerable variations in health and safety conditions across buildings, even though they are located within a single district. Most of the variations in building health and safety conditions were attributed to differences in building management systems rather than building design. Enhancing strategic management approaches (e.g. a better delineation of owners’ rights and duties) appears to be the most critical factor that underperformers should consider in order to improve their buildings.     

依法加强施工安全管理

按照国家法律法规和建设部关。于安全生产管理的一系列要求，结合建筑施工安全的现状，提出了政府监管部门在建筑施工安全管理中应发挥的作用，对当前施工企业做好各级安全管理意义重大。     

定置管理在施工安全管理中的应用

阐述了定置管理的原理、实施方法和程序,指出运用定置管理的科学原理和方法来进行建筑工程现场的安全控制,可以有效地使安全文明施工长期化,使建筑工程项目优质高效安全文明地进行。