Causal relationships of human errors in building maintenance: Findings from Sri Lanka

Building maintenance is a pivotal determinant for ensuring uninterrupted and flawless operations for facilities. From the moment construction is completed until the demolition, maintenance activities must be diligently performed to establish a secure working environment. Building maintenance costs hold the considerable cost for an organization. Consequently, the effective execution of building maintenance procedures becomes imperative to reduce maintenance expenses and enhance workplace safety. Maintenance errors arise due to a range of factors, including human, management, building design, and machinery errors. Among these causative factors, human errors were more likely to occur. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the causal relationships of human errors in building maintenance. Mixed-method research approach was used with a survey strategy, where primary data was collected from a questionnaire survey and subsequent expert interviews. Data were analyzed under both qualitative and quantitative analytical approaches. 39 causes of human errors were identified through literature and among which, 13 most critical causes of human errors were identified. These critical causes were classified into four category groups, viz. information and communication, resource, management, and design, construction, and installation related. Critical human error probabilities were computed and used to develop a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) to describe the causal relationships.