Sánchez, F A S; Peláez, G I C and Alís, J C (2017) Integral diagnosis of occupational health and safety management in colombian construction companies. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 22(2), pp. 101-116. ISSN 1823-6499
Abstract
Given the particular characteristics of the construction sector, its rate of accidents and contracted illnesses is high. Therefore, construction companies seek to protect the health of their workers through the design and implementation of occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS). This paper presents the results of a study that aimed to perform a comprehensive diagnosis of the implementation of the requirements of the Colombian Technical Standard (Norma Técnica Colombiana, NTC-OHSAS 18001) in Colombian construction companies through a SWOT analysis. A survey of 25 questions to industry professionals in 5 capital cities was used for data collection. The survey was conducted in two ways: virtually with the help of the Google Docs platform and directly through written forms. A total of 209 questionnaires with valid answers were received. The findings show that a lack of commitment and a lack of knowledge about safety are the main weaknesses. On the other hand, the existence of occupational health and safety (OHS) staffand the promotion of OHS by Occupational Risk Administrators (ORA) are the main strengths. From this data, alternatives for improving OHS are proposed, such as greater investment in builders, increasing organisational culture, and adequate monitoring by the State.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; occupational health and safety; risk; SWOT |
| Index terms: | management system, builder, construction company, survey, commitment, occupational health and safety, questionnaire, organizational culture, construction sector, promotion, platform, illness, monitoring, implementation, construction industry |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, organization, practitioner, control systems, psychology, contractual arrangements, management, digital design, occupational health and safety management, sociology, health conditions and diseases, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Procurement, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Site Management, Organizational Design, Human Resources, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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