Improving the Safety of Megaconstruction Projects

Abstract

Megaconstruction projects (MCPs) have many beneficial impacts on urban development, such as the creation of infrastructure for other industries, economic development, and employment generation. Global spending on MCPs implies an investment boom in the construction sector. In such a scenario, the safety of workers at worksites becomes a major social responsibility and challenge. The construction industry has the highest accident rate and is considered the most dangerous industry globally. It is thus imperative to prevent such a situation and move toward safer construction. Many studies exist on safety issues in construction projects, some of which have determined critical success factors (CSFs) for safety. However, safety studies specifically on MCPs are limited. In the literature, no study was found to have determined CSFs for the safety performance of MCPs. To fill this gap, this study aimed to determine success attributes for the safety of MCPs, evaluate their underlying structure, and determine CSFs and their relative importance. Based on a literature survey and discussions with experts, attributes were prepared. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey, in which industry experts with experience of handling megaprojects were asked to rate the degree of safety arrangements in a select megaproject with which they were associated. They were also asked to rate the impact of attributes on the safety of the project. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to group the attributes into smaller sets of factors. Using multiple regression analysis, CSFs and their relative importance were determined. This study found five success factors and three CSFs. The CSFs were as follows: management support and commitment, adherence to safety rules and procedures, and a proactive approach of supervisory staff. The findings of this study have theoretical as well as practical application. In theory, this study adds to the body of knowledge, while in practice it provides CSFs for safety for stakeholders to adopt in their projects to enhance their safety performance. Since this study is unique to megaprojects, a need exists for similar studies to be conducted in the future to create a pool of data for comparison and further analysis.