Understandings of occupational health and safety risk control in small business construction firms: barriers to implementing technological controls

The construction industry poses a particular challenge for the making of occupational health and safety (OHS) risk control decisions which are equitable to all parties involved in the construction process. Typically, small business construction firms are engaged as subcontractors in the construction industry and are located at the lower end of the inter-organizational hierarchy in a construction project. As such, their ability to exert an influence on decision-making in the construction process is limited, despite their employees' day to day exposure to OHS risks. A qualitative study of understandings of OHS risk control was conducted among a sample of small businesses engaged in the Australian construction industry. Two OHS risks relevant to the construction industry were selected for study. One risk (falls from height) represented an immediate consequence while the other (occupational skin disease) represented a long-term health effect. Understandings of control for these OHS risks were explored during in-depth interviews. The results suggest that, at the small business end of the industry, there is a fatalistic resignation to OHS risks being an unavoidable part of the job. This leads to an emphasis on individual rather than technological controls for OHS risk. The implication of these findings for the effective management of OHS risk is discussed.

[1]  Johannes Geier,et al.  A comparison of contact allergies among construction and nonconstruction workers attending contact dermatitis clinics in Germany: Results of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology from November 1989 to July 1993*1, *2 , 1995 .

[2]  B. Johns,et al.  Small Business in Australia: Problems and Prospects , 1983 .

[3]  H. S. Eisner,et al.  Safety at work: The limits of self-regulation: S. Dawson, P. Willman, A. Clinton and M. Bamford (Cambridge Studies in Management, 12), Cambridge University Press, U.K., 1988, ISBN 0-521-35497-8, xxi + 310 pages, hardbound, £30.00. , 1989 .

[4]  R. Hollander,et al.  Corporate characteristics and worksite health promotion programs: survey findings from Fortune 500 companies. , 1988, Social science & medicine.

[5]  S. Tesh,et al.  Disease causality and politics. , 1981, Journal of health politics, policy and law.

[6]  Helen Lingard,et al.  Construction site safety in Hong Kong , 1994 .

[7]  Helen Lingard,et al.  Behaviour-based safety management in Hong Kong's construction industry: the results of a field study , 1998 .

[8]  L. Grunberg.  Safety At Work - The Limits Of Self-regulation - Dawson,s, Willman,p, Bamford,m , 1988 .

[9]  David M. DeJoy,et al.  Managing safety in the workplace: An attribution theory analysis and model , 1994 .

[10]  S M Kisner,et al.  Injury hazards in the construction industry. , 1994, Journal of occupational medicine. : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association.

[11]  K Witte,et al.  Managerial style and health promotion programs. , 1993, Social science & medicine.

[12]  Helen Lingard,et al.  Behavior-based safety management in Hong Kong's construction industry , 1997 .

[13]  J. Eakin,et al.  Leaving it up to the Workers: Sociological Perspective on the Management of Health and Safety in Small Workplaces , 1992, International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation.

[14]  N. Holmes,et al.  Social meanings of risk in OHS: consequences for risk control , 1996 .

[15]  Helen. Lingard.  Safety in Hong Kong's construction industry: changing worker behaviour , 1995 .

[16]  S Freeman,et al.  OCCUPATIONAL CONTACT DERMATITIS IN NEW SOUTH WALES , 1992, The Australasian journal of dermatology.

[17]  Martin G. Helander,et al.  Safety hazards and motivation for safe work in the construction industry , 1991 .

[18]  M A Spilman,et al.  Gender differences in worksite health promotion activities. , 1988, Social science & medicine.

[19]  Marc Antezana,et al.  Occupational contact dermatitis. , 2003, Immunology and allergy clinics of North America.

[20]  J E Fielding,et al.  Frequency of worksite health promotion activities. , 1989, American journal of public health.

[21]  Denis Crowther.  Total project management of construction safety, health and environment 2nd edition , 1996 .

[22]  R. Tesch.  Qualitative Research: Analysis Types and Software , 1990 .

[23]  R. Hudson,et al.  Construction Hazard and Safety Handbook , 1985 .

[24]  R A Carleton,et al.  Use of population-based data to assess risk factor profiles of blue and white collar workers. , 1991, Journal of occupational medicine. : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association.

[25]  Joseph A. Maxwell,et al.  Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach , 1996 .

[26]  V. J. Davies,et al.  Construction Safety Handbook , 1990 .

[27]  M. Orlandi,et al.  The diffusion and adoption of worksite health promotion innovations: an analysis of barriers. , 1986, Preventive medicine.

[28]  HowardH. Fawcett.  Safety at work 3rd edn. : by John Ridley (Ed.) with 25 specialist contributers, Butterworth-Heinemann, 80 Montvale Ave., Stoneham, MA 02180, 1990, ISBN 0-7506-1018-2, 752 pp., $195.00. , 1992 .

[29]  T Rundmo,et al.  Associations between organizational factors and safety and contingency measures on offshore petroleum platforms. , 1994, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.