Data-driven analysis of public concerns in major construction accidents and intervention strategies

Wang, D; Xu, G and Fang, S (2026) Data-driven analysis of public concerns in major construction accidents and intervention strategies. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(6): 04026060, ISSN 0733-9364

Abstract

Major construction accidents not only cause property damage and casualties but also trigger public panic and media crises, necessitating precise emergency management strategies. Existing research often relies on qualitative analysis and does not fully consider the differences between accident types and the public's concerns. Based on the ConCA model, this study integrates machine learning and big data analysis to explore the impact of different accident types on public attention and proposes differentiated emergency response strategies for each accident type. Public concerns were categorized as rational, emotional, or moral by analyzing social media comments. The study found significant differences in public concerns across accident types: human factor accidents primarily evoke both rational and emotional concerns, natural disasters predominantly elicit emotional concerns, and equipment defects mainly lead to rational concerns. In response, this study suggests three differentiated intervention strategies: a "high responsibility + high attention" strategy for human factor accidents, a "high responsibility + moderate attention" strategy for equipment defects, and a "low responsibility + low attention" strategy for natural disasters. This study fills the gap in public cognitive behavior models by proposing an emergency management framework based on accident types and public concern patterns, which provides important guidance for improving emergency response efficiency and public trust in the future.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: differentiated intervention strategies; machine learning; major construction accidents; public concerns; social media
Index terms: media, social media, efficiency, machine learning, human factor, construction accident, emergency management, qualitative analysis, panic, big data, emergency response, strategy, intervention strategy, natural disaster
Subjects: technology adoption, artificial intelligence, research design and methodology, sociology, occupational health and safety management, information systems, performance management, safety engineering, management, environmental hazards, behavioral psychology, financial risk
Topics: Business Strategy, Cost Management, Research Practice, Digital Applications, Sustainability, Health and Safety, Quality Management
Descriptive scope: 3 PCA

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