TECHNICAL PAPERS
May 1, 2006

Comparative Injury and Fatality Risk Analysis of Building Trades

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 132, Issue 5

Abstract

Occupational injury and fatality risk analysis was performed on 16 building trades in the study reported herein. The approach was based on defining risk fundamentally as the product of probability (frequency) and severity, and using the risk plane concept to evaluate and rank the trades in terms of nonfatal injury rates. A parameter named index of relative risk was then used for fatality rate based ranking, and the results separately obtained from these analyses were integrated into a combined risk score for arriving at final rankings. Bureau of Labor Statistics data was used in the study. The risk analysis methodology included both frequency and severity considerations associated with nonfatal injuries. It was observed that simultaneous consideration of frequency and severity gives more comprehensive results than performing risk analysis based exclusively on either frequency or severity. The findings of the study indicated that ironworkers and roofers were the highest risk trades. The information derived from the methodology presented in this paper should be particularly valuable for risk managers, legal and liability experts, and project managers.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 132Issue 5May 2006
Pages: 533 - 539

History

Received: May 26, 2005
Accepted: Oct 19, 2005
Published online: May 1, 2006
Published in print: May 2006

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Authors

Affiliations

Selim Baradan [email protected]
Research Associate, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State Univ., Detroit, MI 48202. E-mail: [email protected]
Mumtaz A. Usmen, M.ASCE [email protected]
P.E.
Professor and Chair, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State Univ., Detroit, MI 48202. E-mail: [email protected]

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