Construction safety in Hong Kong: The development of models for the safety performance assessment of major contractors

This research aimed to identify the key factors affecting the safety performance of major contractors and their construction sites in Hong Kong. By the use of literature review and a contextual study of the construction industry in Hong Kong, potential variables for factors of safety performance were identified. Two questionnaire surveys were conducted, one for the senior management personnel of construction companies who are the safety policy and safety system decision makers, and the other for safety officers and safety supervisors who are responsible for the implementation of safety policies and safety systems on sites. Data obtained from the questionnaire surveys were analysed by the use of factor analysis. Safety variables were then grouped, depending on the relationships between variables representing factors for safety performance, and pair-wise comparison by the analytic hierarchy process (ABP) used to determine the ranking and the relative importance of these factors. In order of importance, the six factors identified, which most affect the safety performance of major construction companies are resources, safety system, time devoted to safety, effective communication, safety policy, and company's safety committee. A further five factors affecting the safety performance of construction sites are identified namely safety training, safety practice and procedures, communication of company safety policy, site safety committee, and participation and consultation. Industrial norms for safety performance have been evaluated by the use of factors and weighted sub-factors, together with the priority vectors of the factors derived from the pair-wise comparison matrix of the ABP. The factors and their priority vectors are then developed into two models. One for the factors affecting the safety performance of major contractors (Fcsp) and one for the factors affecting the safety performance of major contractors' construction sites (Fcssp). Both models are then independently verified by means of a practitioner questionnaire survey and a site observation survey. The research concludes that workable models have been produced which can be continuously improved and adapted to benchmark and measure construction industry safety performance in Hong Kong.