Findings from a research study of construction safety in Hong Kong : accidents related to fall of person from height

Purpose – Falls continue to be the major cause of fatalities in the Hong Kong construction industry, as well as in other countries. Published statistics of the Labour Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) showed that from 2000 to 2004 approximately half of the fatal construction accidents were a result of fall of person from height. In view of this phenomenon, the purpose of this paper is to present the findings and recommendations of a research paper which investigates the problems associated with fall of person from height in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approach – Accident data obtained from the Architectural Services Department, HKSAR, was analysed according to the 14 available factors collectively to derive explanations for common situations and reasons leading to fall accidents.Findings – The findings of this rigorous analysis are presented to practitioners whose feedback on the findings are recorded by means of a questionnaire survey. The responses from the sur...