Identifying and Assessing Critical Indicators of Resilience in Active Construction Sites

Construction safety culture in active construction sites is frequently challenged due to the uncertainties and unknowns associated with construction activities. The construction industry requires expertise from multifaceted professionals who differ widely in hazard identification, risk perception, and situational awareness. While the existing literature aims at the implementation measures of construction safety, it does not provide enough guidance on how the efficacy of these measures varies among the construction affiliates. Moreover, frequently occurring natural hazards and extreme weather events significantly impede construction activities as well as the proposed schedule. The empirical literature is inconclusive of how such events influence the risk perceptions of several stakeholders involved in construction activities. As such, the goal of the study is to develop a multi-disciplinary risk-perception framework based on a comprehensive set of hazards in contrasting scenarios (i.e., regular vs. extreme weather). In particular, the study contributes by (1) identifying the knowledge gaps in the existing literature related to construction safety practices and risk perception; (2) designing and conducting an extensive survey involving diverse scenarios related to construction activities (i.e., sub-structural, super-structural, etc.), types of hazards (i.e., tipping, fall, lifting, excavation, etc.), and weather conditions among others; (3) apprehending risk observations of construction practitioners, researchers, and experts; and (4) developing a unified construction risk spectrum to enhance construction site resilience. The findings of this study could shed new light on advancing the resilience capacity of active construction sites that can be observed in practice.