An effective approach to enhancing jobsite safety management and performance: Case study

Safety management is becoming increasingly important in the construction industry. Effective safety management not only reduces contractors‘ incident rates and compensation costs but also enhances their productivity and efficiency in project execution. In addition, better safety performance increases contractors‘ competitive advantage in the market by providing better values to their clients. This paper presents a case study of an onsite safety management program launched by a general contractor. First, it reviews the contractor‘s motivation and goals for creating this program, the major elements of the program, and its implementation steps. The initial findings, based on quantitative measurement of incident rates, are presented to show the effectiveness of the program. Further discussions are also provided to summarize the working mechanism of this program and lessons learned during its implementation. The information presented will help promote this dedicated effort to the broad sectors of the construction industry. Future research will focus on understanding the influence of the program on safety culture and climate as well as identifying points of resistance and potential problems for continual improvement.

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