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Falls from Height in the Construction Industry: A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature

Author

Listed:
  • Evan A. Nadhim

    (School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Carol Hon

    (School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Bo Xia

    (School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Ian Stewart

    (Institute of Health Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Dongping Fang

    (Department of Construction Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China)

Abstract

Globally, falls from height (FFH) are a substantial public health jeopardy and are among the important leading causes of serious and fatal injuries for construction workers. A comprehensive understanding of the causal factors in FFH incidents is urgently required; however, the literature appears to lack a scientific review of FFH. In this study, 297 articles that contribute to the topic of fall incidents were reviewed. Seventy-five (75) articles met the criteria for relevance and were aggregated in a database to support a critical review. A synthesis of macro-variables approach was adopted rather than a structured meta-analysis. Such a method of analysis provides the flexibility to combine previous studies' findings. The most common factors associated with FFH are risky activities, individual characteristics, site conditions, organizational characteristics, agents (scaffolds/ladders) and weather conditions. The outcomes contributed to identifying the most significant research area for safety enhancement by improving engineering facilities, behaviour investigations and FFH prevention methods.

Suggested Citation

  • Evan A. Nadhim & Carol Hon & Bo Xia & Ian Stewart & Dongping Fang, 2016. "Falls from Height in the Construction Industry: A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:7:p:638-:d:72877
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mengchun Zhang & Dongping Fang, 2013. "A cognitive analysis of why Chinese scaffolders do not use safety harnesses in construction," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 207-222, March.
    2. Kun Hu & Hazhir Rahmandad & Tonya Smith-Jackson & Woodrow Winchester, 2011. "Factors influencing the risk of falls in the construction industry: a review of the evidence," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(4), pages 397-416.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Xiuyu Wu & Hongping Yuan & Ge Wang & Shuquan Li & Guangdong Wu, 2019. "Impacts of Lean Construction on Safety Systems: A System Dynamics Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Runhao Guo & Heng Li & Dongliang Han & Runze Liu, 2023. "Feasibility Analysis of Using Channel State Information (CSI) Acquired from Wi-Fi Routers for Construction Worker Fall Detection," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Kriengsak Panuwatwanich & Natapit Roongsrisoothiwong & Kawin Petcharayuthapant & Sirikwan Dummanonda & Sherif Mohamed, 2020. "Ambient Intelligence to Improve Construction Site Safety: Case of High-Rise Building in Thailand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, November.
    5. María del Carmen Rey-Merchán & Jesús M. Gómez-de-Gabriel & Antonio López-Arquillos & Sang D. Choi, 2021. "Analysis of Falls from Height Variables in Occupational Accidents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Albert P. C. Chan & Junfeng Guan & Tracy N. Y. Choi & Yang Yang & Guangdong Wu & Edmond Lam, 2023. "Improving Safety Performance of Construction Workers through Learning from Incidents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-26, March.
    7. Mohd Saidin Misnan & Sarajul Fikri Mohamed & Zuhaili Mohamad Ramly & Fara Diva Mustapa & Georgenia Bonggi, 2024. "Safety and Health Cost Components for Scaffolding Works in Construction Projects," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 1785-1798, August.
    8. Sung-Yong Kang & Seongi Min & Deokhee Won & Young-Jong Kang & Seungjun Kim, 2021. "Suggestion of an Improved Evaluation Method of Construction Companies’ Industrial Accident Prevention Activities in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-25, August.
    9. Xiaoshan Zhou & Pin-Chao Liao, 2023. "EEG-Based Performance-Driven Adaptive Automated Hazard Alerting System in Security Surveillance Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    10. Juan Carlos Rubio-Romero & Manuel Suárez-Cebador & María del Carmen Pardo-Ferreira & José María De la Varga-Salto & Jesús Antonio Carrillo-Castrillo, 2019. "Does Europe Need an EU Product Safety Directive for Access Scaffolding?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Fani Antoniou & Nektaria Filitsa Agrafioti, 2023. "Meta-Analysis of Studies on Accident Contributing Factors in the Greek Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, January.
    12. Ting-Min Hsieh & Ching-Hua Tsai & Hang-Tsung Liu & Chun-Ying Huang & Sheng-En Chou & Wei-Ti Su & Shiun-Yuan Hsu & Ching-Hua Hsieh, 2020. "Effect of Height of Fall on Mortality in Patients with Fall Accidents: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-16, June.
    13. Minsu Lee & Jaemin Jeong & Jaewook Jeong & Jaehyun Lee, 2021. "Exploring Fatalities and Injuries in Construction by Considering Thermal Comfort Using Uncertainty and Relative Importance Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-30, May.

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