Occupational Risk Index for Assessment of Risk in Construction Work by Activity
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140, Issue 1
Abstract
The concern for occupational health and safety in construction work is reflected in the many preventive measures taken. However, examples of the systematic assessment of project alternatives aimed at minimizing occupational hazards are rare. This paper proposes a measure of occupational safety [occupational risk index (ORI)] that is based solely on the project design and resulting construction process, and is a function of the activities carried out and their specific occupational risk (probability and consequences of occurrence). The ORI can thus be used as an indicator to feed multicriteria decision-analysis tools. The proposal is illustrated with a simple example in which two alternatives (one precast and the other constructed in situ) are prioritized in terms of occupational safety, and certain aspects related to redesign are briefly addressed. With the ORI, occupational safety goes from having a passive influence (application to projects that have already been designed) to an active one (influence on the design concept itself) in the design stage of construction projects. The research is based on an analysis of the applicable legislation and interviews with experts.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support received from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness; one of the authors also benefited from a research staff training grant under the BIA2006-15471-C02-01 project. The authors would further like to express their gratitude to the Spanish Civil Engineer Association and the Bosch Potensà Private Foundation for supporting this research. Finally, the authors would like to thank the health and safety experts María Ángeles Horna, Mónica Pérez and, especially, José Hernández Paterna for their invaluable contribution.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140 • Issue 1 • January 2014
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 8, 2013
Accepted: Aug 13, 2013
Published online: Sep 6, 2013
Published in print: Jan 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Feb 6, 2014
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