Kamardeen, I (2009) Strategic safety management information system for building projects in Singapore. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 16(1), pp. 8-25. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose – The construction industry in Singapore has been recording higher accident rates compared with other industries. As an initiative to reduce occupational accidents, the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore proposed to clients to adopt quality-fee method (QFM) for tender evaluation, departing from the traditional lowest price method. Assessing tenderers' safety proposals is a crucial task for clients' project managers to implement QFM, but it is a difficult and challenging task. This study aims to provide a tool to facilitate this. Design/methodology/approach – A triple-index model was developed for estimating potential accident risks in building projects, given that a contractor's proposed safety system is in place to combat the accident hazards inherent in the project. The model was then automated as a decision support system (DSS). Case studies were conducted to test the reliability and accuracy of the DSS. Findings – The DSS produces project accident indices, and it was found in the case studies that values for this index are positively correlated with the number of accidents in building projects. The findings proved that the DSS makes a significant contribution to the state-of-the-art of risk assessment. Practical implications – The proposed model and its DSS would facilitate the implementation of QFM for tender evaluation and thereby reduce accidents. Originality/value – The paper presents a novel tool to combat accidents in construction at the early stage of tender evaluation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; decision support systems; procurement; quality; safety |
| Index terms: | Singapore, project manager, case study, construction industry, implementation, risk assessment, occupational accident, accuracy, proposal, decision support, safety management, information system, estimating, methodology, tender evaluation, state of the art |
| Subjects: | Geography, financial risk, professional development, health risk and incident analysis, tendering, research methods, industry analysis, information systems, occupational health and safety management, decision analysis, profession, data collection methods, research dissemination and communication, project planning, contractual arrangements, financial and cost management |
| Topics: | Information Management, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Project Management, Health and Safety, Cost Management, Procurement, Risk Management, Roles and Professions, Digital Applications |
| 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