Effect of Safety and Environmental Variables on Task Durations in Steel Erection
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131, Issue 12
Abstract
In spite of the efforts by government agencies, labor organizations, and researchers in the field of health and safety, injuries and fatalities continue to affect the construction industry. In 2002 the construction industry had the undesirable distinction of having two of the most dangerous occupations in the United States, with fatalities among structural steel workers at 58.2 per 100,000 workers (fourth highest rate) and among construction laborers at 27.7 per 100,000 workers (ninth highest rate). Costs associated with construction accidents, such as increased insurance premiums and medical expenses, and loss of productivity are also concerns in the industry. It has not been demonstrated how unsafe working conditions affect worker performance, and the impact of unsafe work practices on worker performance has not been quantified. This paper describes a methodology that included direct observation of steel erection activities and statistical analysis of task duration data. The data collected at steel erection sites included safety conditions such as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), elevation of the work area, environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, and worker performance in the form of task durations. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis of 186 of steel erection task durations collected over a six-month period showed that the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the time of day during which the operation was being performed, the elevation at which the work was being performed, and the presence of decking below the work area had statistically significant effects on the durations of steel erection tasks.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their thanks to the following individuals and companies for their collaboration on this study: Dave Murphy and Terry Hass of Pepper Construction, Nathan Crowell of Wilhelm Construction, Bruce Boyd of Kettlehut Construction, Bill Mott of Hunt Construction, and Jim Brown of the Associated General Contractors of America (Indianapolis).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131 • Issue 12 • December 2005
Pages: 1310 - 1319
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: May 25, 2004
Accepted: May 16, 2005
Published online: Dec 1, 2005
Published in print: Dec 2005
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