Enhancing Safety Management in UAE Construction Sites through Site Manager Performance Evaluation

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the most high-risk domains, having the highest number of occupational accidents compared to other industries globally. One of the main reasons for worker injuries and deaths is the site managers’ unsafe behaviour on the construction sites, which creates an environment that normalizes further unsafe acts and leads to the personnel's inability to recognize and identify various hazards within the construction site. This research aims to investigate and evaluate the site manager's contribution towards safety through specific indicators that include their safety-oriented performance, provision of safety equipment, and conduction of safety training. Data was collected from the workers and managers on construction sites through a comprehensive survey that constituted the three main mentioned indicators. The surveyed sample included 174 participants from different construction organizations across the UAE. The data was then analyzed using the 3-way ANOVA technique to study the relationship between the named three variables. Monte Carlo Simulation was used to study the uncertainty and variability of the interactions of the three factors in the construction site. The obtained results showed that the three factors were all statistically significant, indicating that the three independent variables had a positive effect on the safety score of the site manager. The interaction effect between the safety-oriented performance & provision of safety equipment was significant indicating that there was a combined effect between them on the safety score. A set of recommendations are provided to ensure more safety methods are implemented across the entire UAE construction sector.