Influences on subcontractor OHS management outcomes in construction

Construction in Australia is dominated by subcontracted labour arrangements within an open and competitive tendering environment, with subcontractors comprising around 85-90% of the workforce on a typical construction project. It follows that the successful management of subcontractors is a key to managing occupational health and safety (OHS) on a typical construction project. The aim of the research was to monitor the implementation of a series of management interventions designed to improve subcontractor safety performance. At the same time the influence on safety performance and subcontractor attitudes and perceptions of risk - based on feedback, strong management commitment, and improvement in documented safety systems, was assessed. A literature review identifying international practices in subcontractor OHS management was conducted to identify weaknesses in practices in the Australian construction industry. A series of key areas for intervention were identified (in partnership with construction industry representatives). The interventions included assistance with hazard identification, development of standardised documentation - which included a safe work method proforma and a subcontractor assistance pack, and the introduction of a behaviour-based positive performance measurement technique with feedback. Ten construction sites in New South Wales (NSW) were nominated by four participating construction companies to implement the management interventions. A baseline measurement of site safety performance and subcontractor attitudes was carried out on each site and then change was monitored over 12 months. An improvement in site safety performance was identified using the behaviour-based positive performance measurement technique over the period of the research. Where feedback on safety performance was provided to subcontractors, both safety performance and attitude against risk taking improved more significantly over those sites where no feedback was provided. A definitive link between safety performance measured using the behaviour-based technique and low probability, high consequence events (accidents) was not determined. However, the research intervention coincided with a downward trend in Lost Time Injuries (L Tis) and first aid treatments. This finding is consistent with other non-construction-based research and provides further argument that observation frequencies when measured over a protracted period (i.e. using tools such as the behaviour-based measurement technique adopted) may be predictive of recordable injury occurrences like LTIs. Superior OHS performance on the construction sites that participated in the research corresponded with the reporting of significantly higher injury numbers. The participating principal contractor in control of these sites was found to demonstrate superior management commitment to OHS determined by research interviews. The finding strengthens the link identified by research in other industries between strong management commitment and superior safety performance. In addition, strong commitment was found to generally coincide with more sophisticated OHS management and therefore better recording and reporting of injuries, which resulted in the higher injury numbers recorded. The management tools developed to enhance subcontractor OHS management were slow to be adopted by the construction industry in NSW but at the end of the study had increased to 80% of subcontractors on the sites evaluated. There was a corresponding improvement in the OHS content of subcontractor documentation from 1998 to 2001 which is attributed to the research interventions. However, the increased take-up of the research tools and corresponding improvement in documented safety did not necessarily correspond with safer practices at the workface. Although, the behaviour-based positive performance measurement technique showed an improvement in safety behaviour and overall OHS performance in general there was little improvement in implementation of the specific safe work methods which the subcontractors had themselves specified in their improved documentation. The research indicated that subcontractor safety behaviour was influenced more by supervision and a perception that: 'an accident will not happen to me' (i.e. the low probability of involvement in a serious accident occurrence), than on documented procedures related to the type of work to be carried out and their implementation. Measurement of OHS performance was a key issue in assessing the effectiveness of the research intervention and in refining its initiatives. Traditional OHS outcome performance levels based on injury rates failed to correspond with the performance levels determined by the behaviour-based positive performance measurement technique used. This prompted further comparison and corroboration of the research findings with independent audits using standard safety management system auditing tools. A further outcome of the research was the development of a series of positive performance indicators (PPls) for safety in the construction industry. These consist of areas of appraisal for all stages of a construction project including tender and design. The on-site research findings identified that a mix of PPls and traditional outcome measures was required to provide the basis for improved OHS performance appraisal of a construction project.