Causes of safety risk during tower crane operations on construction sites in Vietnam

Abstract

The construction industry holds significant importance for any nation; however, it remains a high-risk sectorcharacterized by a significant number of fatalities and grave injuries. Among these risks, tower crane operationsstand out as a leading contributor to the heightened risk rate. This research paper endeavors to assess the safety risks inherent in tower crane operations at construction sites in Vietnam. This assessment is conducted from the perspective of various stakeholders involved in tower crane activities, namely managers, operators, and workers. To achieve this, a meticulously structured questionnaire utilizing a five-point Likert scale was formulated and distributed to gather insights from 78 proficient individuals engaged in tower crane-related tasks. The outcomes from all participants collectively underscore 21 distinct causes that give rise to safety risks during tower crane operations in Vietnam. Nonetheless, noticeable differences in opinions appear when looking at answers from managers, operators, and workers. The operators and workers showed that “Winds (wind intensity seriously affects the lifted load and tower crane itself)” are the most common safety risk. On the other hand, the managers highlighted the issue of whether the “Tower crane operator is an in-house staff member or outsourced” as their main concern. The managers, operators and workers showed that “Experience and skills of the operator during operating tower crane”, “Maintenance management degree of the tower crane and lifting aids”, and “Overhead power lines in the tower crane’s work region” are the most severe cause of safety risk, respectively. Operators and workers pointed out that the "Degree of maintenance management for tower cranes and lifting aids"has the highest safety risk level. However, managers highlighted that “Winds (wind intensity seriously affects the lifted load and tower crane itself)” pose the highest safety risk level.