Hazard Recognition and Risk Perception Skills among Union Electricians
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 146, Issue 9
Abstract
Although most safety guidelines and standards put hazard recognition as the first step of risk management, researchers found that only 6.7% of construction foremen could identify all the site hazards. Regarding construction safety and training, much research has shown that lack of hazard recognition could be attributed to familiarity with the task and being desensitized to the associated risks. The primary objective of this research was to assess hazard recognition and safety risk perception skills in the electrician trade among electricians in unions. Journeymen and apprentices were given photos of leading hazards in this trade. Each individual was asked to find hazards in the photographs and, once they were finished, they were asked to assess the risk associated with each photo. Hazard recognition and risk perception results were compared with those of subject matter experts. The results showed that both apprentices and journeymen were unable to identify an acceptable number of hazards when benchmarked to the experts’ expectations. The results also showed that journeymen were unable to perceive risks, compared with subject matter experts’ expectations. The primary contribution to the body of knowledge is the establishment of an evaluation process of hazard recognition and risk perception, as well as demonstration of the gap in outcomes of safety training programs. With the findings of this effort, electrical unions can understand existing hazard recognition and risk perception abilities and gaps of their apprentices and journeymen.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are proprietary or confidential in nature and may be provided only with restrictions. The survey data are anonymized for confidentiality.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 146 • Issue 9 • September 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 27, 2019
Accepted: Feb 12, 2020
Published online: Jun 27, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 27, 2020
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