Using Fuzzy Failure Mode Effect Analysis to Model Cave-In Accidents

AbstractBehavioral, managerial, and technical problems cause construction injury accidents. Among these accidents, cave-ins are some of the most frequently occurring accidents. Mitigating hazards that result in cave-ins are of great importance in managing and controlling excavation practices. This paper introduces a new conceptual risk mitigation tool that can be adopted to minimize cave-in hazards and be employed as a quality-control tool before and during excavations. It provides a list of hazards in ranked order from the most frequent to least frequent and most hazardous to least hazardous causes that managers should focus on and invest resources into. Precise risk evaluation for cave-ins using traditional methods of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) can be challenging, because the variables involved in cave-ins are unique, and historical data are often incomplete. In construction, estimation of risk is based on severity, frequency of occurrence, and likelihood of detection; management teams asse...