Decision-Making Chains in Electrical Safety for Construction Workers
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 142, Issue 1
Abstract
Electrocution is one of the four leading causes of worker deaths in the construction sector, and thus it is paramount to identify its mechanisms. This work interprets the mechanisms of an electrical accident as a chain of decision mistakes throughout the entire task process. The objective of this paper is to visualize the decision-making chains in workplace electrical safety for construction workers. Because of construction’s “one-off” nature, the researchers narrow the decision-making chain for specific “features of work” (FOW), a group of distinct activities possessing higher occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and requiring particular attention. By analyzing National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) electrocution reports, the authors identify five features of work and illustrate their decision-making chains. This work promotes electrical safety and injury prevention through the decision-making lens and contributes to the scholarly body of knowledge by introducing a comprehensive approach to the decision-making chain that is applicable to other safety research.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 142 • Issue 1 • January 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 2, 2015
Accepted: May 28, 2015
Published online: Jul 15, 2015
Discussion open until: Dec 15, 2015
Published in print: Jan 1, 2016
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