Causes, Solutions, and Adoption Barriers of Falls from Roofs in the Singapore Construction Industry
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145, Issue 5
Abstract
Fall from roof (FFR) has been a perennial problem in the construction industry. It has been one of the leading sources of injuries and accidents in many countries. The objectives of this paper are to (1) investigate the causes of fall from roof; (2) identify control measures to roof safety that are being used in the Singapore construction industry; (3) evaluate these controls based on specific working on roof scenarios; and (4) investigate factors that influence the adoption of these solutions. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced practitioners in the Singapore construction industry. In addition, two focus group discussions were conducted to discuss fall protection solutions for six critical and common working on roof scenarios identified during the interviews. Results suggested that FFR accidents and injuries were caused by a combination of individual and organizational factors. Cost-effectiveness, workers competency, and site constraints are the most critical factors that differentiate solutions to specific roofing scenarios. Despite the existing solutions, it was found that some contractors are reluctant to implement appropriate solutions in their roof work due to (1) cost; (2) time pressure; (3) power imbalance; and (4) on-site constraints. Based on these findings, it was suggested that establishing a roof association would help reduce FFR accidents and injuries by addressing the following issues: (1) design working-on-roof best practices; (2) improve tendering process; and (3) develop and manage a licensing roofing worker program.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data-sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001263.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145 • Issue 5 • May 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 27, 2018
Accepted: Oct 17, 2018
Published online: Feb 27, 2019
Published in print: May 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jul 27, 2019
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