Harper, R S and Koehn, E (1998) Managing industrial construction safety in southeast Texas. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 124(6), pp. 452-457. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The construction industry on average has a higher rate of occupational injury than most other industries. However, steps can be taken to reduce worker risk through the effective management of controllable factors. These controllable factors can be managed through an aggressive safety program with emphasis on hazard awareness, safer work practices, and employee involvement. While the initial cost impact to a company to establish a sound safety program can be substantial, the long-term benefits can lead to overall cost savings that may outweigh the costs of implementation and management. This paper highlights some of the areas addressed by Mason Construction, Inc. in the establishment of its safety program. Mason is a merit shop contractor with approximately $15 million annual revenue in the civil sector of the petrochemical industry of southeast Texas. Through the use of quantifiable data and multiple examples from this case study, it is shown that the benefits attributable to a strong safety program outweigh the costs of the program itself.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | mason, employee involvement, case study, cost saving, industrial construction, implementation, construction industry, revenue, injury, work practice, program |
| Subjects: | psychology, economic analysis, contractual arrangements, data collection methods, practitioner, health conditions and diseases, building construction, industry analysis, software systems, economics, management |
| Topics: | Procurement, Roles and Professions, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Organizational Design, Human Resources, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here