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Cost-effectiveness of construction safety programme elements

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  • Matthew Hallowell

Abstract

Every year the construction industry accounts for a disproportionate injury rate when compared to the all-industry average. In recent years, incident rates have declined as a result of improvements in safety management. While there is a great deal of knowledge regarding the safety management strategies of highly effective construction firms, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of these strategies. Interviews with 26 representatives of construction firms headquartered in the US were undertaken to quantify the cost of implementing common safety programme elements by: (1) quantifying cost for each element per US$1 million of project scope; and (2) determining the distribution of safety funding to each element. Using these cost data and effectiveness ratings from previous research, the cost-effectiveness of 13 safety programme elements was quantified. The results indicate that the most cost-effective safety programme elements are subcontractor selection and management and upper management support and commitment. Alternatively, the least cost-effective elements are the employment of a full-time safety manager and record-keeping. The information presented in this paper may be used by practitioners to direct resource investments, strategically select a subset of safety programme elements when resources are limited, and to justify additional resource investment in accident prevention.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Hallowell, 2010. "Cost-effectiveness of construction safety programme elements," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 25-34.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:28:y:2010:i:1:p:25-34
    DOI: 10.1080/01446190903460706
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    Keywords

    Safety; risk management;

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