Williams, D (2019) Preventing harness-induced pathology in U.S. construction companies: A qualitative multiple case study. PhD thesis, University of Phoenix, USA.
Abstract
Introduction: The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to investigate the actions and behaviors of United States construction safety managers in the prevention of harness-induced pathology. Harness-induced pathology is the decelerating of the heart rate and reduction of oxygen to the brain; subsequently, causing unconsciousness and potentially death after a fall from height (FFH) while wearing a harness. Method: The study included nine construction safety managers. Data collection comprised in-depth interviews and analysis was supported by NVivo 12 Plus software. Through within-case and cross-case analysis, the yielding of seven core themes and one outlier emerged. Results: Recurring themes highlighted (a) assessing worksite safety, (b) communicating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards clearly, (c) modeling the right behavior, (d) training with cultural competence, (e) improving training effectiveness, (f) holding workers accountable, and (g) identifying drug impaired workers. The outlier regarded ambiguity in the writing of OSHA standards; therefore, future research could focus on the standards writing process and ways to bridge any existing gaps in the translation and dissemination of OSHA safety procedures. Conclusions: The identifying of actions and behaviors that safety managers should demonstrate while doing their jobs not only serves as a foundation for saving lives within an organization but a catalyst to inspire autonomous motivation of both the safety managers and construction workers. Subsequently, accidents due to FFH leading to harness-induced pathology will decrease due to the displaying of appropriate leadership behavior and the instilling of a focused organizational effort to maintain an effective safety culture. Practical Applications: These findings would be useful in reinforcing valuable strategies for preserving life when working from heights and unifying a more consistent custom of fall prevention on the construction jobsite.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Arduengo, N |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | United States; bridge; case study; competence; construction safety; culture; leadership; motivation; safety; standards; training |
| Index terms: | interview, United States, manager, strategy, motivation, construction company, competence, dissemination, cross-case analysis, construction safety, training effectivenes, safety culture, pathology, case study, occupational safety and health, construction worker, prevention, heart, cultural competence, modelling |
| Subjects: | assessment methods, medical science and clinical practice, financial risk, Geography, health safety and environment, psychology, analytical methods, organization, practitioner, sociology, occupational health and safety management, environmental health, management, knowledge translation, personnel development, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Education, Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Health and Safety |
| 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