Wijeratne, W M P U; Perera, B A K S and De Silva, L (2014) Identification and assessment risks in maintenance operations. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 4(4), pp. 384-405. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the risks and methods for their assessment in the case of maintenance activities in Sri Lanka. The main objectives were to identify the occupational risks in maintenance work and the risk assessment methods in place and their drawbacks in the Sri Lankan context.; Design/methodology/approach: The identification and assessment of risks were undertaken through a study of three fast-moving consumer products manufacturing organisations. The relevant data were collected through personal interviews and site visits.; Findings: Most typical risks associated with maintenance are cuts, slips and falls, with severe or fatal injuries as the result of negligence of SOP and failure to use the PPE. Checklists, brainstorming and decomposition techniques were identified as the preferred methods in maintenance for risk identification while a risk rating matrix is used for risk analysis. Lack of awareness and indifference towards risk assessment; make effective risk assessment very difficult. These drawbacks can be minimised by education, systematic training and enforcing rules, regulations and procedures for controlling risks.; Originality/value: Studies on maintenance worldwide have identified several maintenance-specific risks such as working at heights, the pressure of time, etc. However, there is a dearth of published research on risks and risk assessment methods in maintenance in Sri Lankan context. The findings highlighted the safety risks and risk assessment tools entailed in the maintenance operations of manufacturing organisations. The findings will be useful for those in maintenance operations in managing risks effectively through designing work environments that are risk-free.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | maintenance; occupational risks; risk analysis; risk assessment; safety risks; Sri Lanka |
| Index terms: | risk analysis, regulation, Sri Lanka, work environment, methodology, risk assessment, falls, risk identification, negligence, injury, interview |
| Subjects: | financial risk, Geography, research methods, management, health risk and incident analysis, political science, environmental hazards, liability law, health conditions and diseases, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Legal Issues, Sustainability, Governance, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Cost Management, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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