ANALYSIS OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF WORKING AT HEIGHT

ONG Kong construction industry has a very high accident record rate. Highest numbers of accidents have occurred due to falling from height. This paper presents a research that was carried out through case studies on 14 sites where personnel were working at a height. The study indicates that 65% of the respondents did not have a safety management system in force while the rest had a reasonably sound system and complied with it. Further, a detailed study was carried out on the circumstances that led to a major accident causing many fatalities. Results point to the fact that safety management systems implemented by most construction companies lack effectiveness. Poor motivation and lack of commitment to eliminate or reduce risks and achieve progressive improvement of safety standards for all risk areas was observed. Findings suggest that financial pressure may have made the companies objectives different from those that are safety related.