Abstract
The number of accidents and victims in the construction sector has not decreased significantly despite the increasingly stricter laws and regulations. The analysis of accidents, as well as their root causes and determinants can certainly contribute to the development of more effective preventive interventions. The present study proposes a methodology for the analysis and synthesis of data provided by accidents statistics with the goal of defining specific risk profiles based on the accidents determinants, their variables, and how they interact with one another in influencing the occurrence of an accident. For this purpose, a procedure capable of extracting this type of information from the European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) database was developed. In particular, data processing and aggregation are performed by means of the synergic use of the Matrix of Descriptors (MoD) and cluster analysis. To validate such a procedure, the analysis of fatalities due to electrical shocks was carried out. The results achieved allowed us to elicit valuable information for both safety managers and decision makers. The proposed methodology can facilitate a systemic analysis of accidents databases reducing the difficulties in managing reports and accident statistics.
Highlights
IntroductionThe high rate of occupational accidents in the construction industry represents a major concern in many countries (as outlined by numerous studies and statistics, e.g., in [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]), despite the efforts made by governments and public bodies to reduce it [8,9,10,11,12]
The high rate of occupational accidents in the construction industry represents a major concern in many countries, despite the efforts made by governments and public bodies to reduce it [8,9,10,11,12]
Cluster 3, populated by 29 cases, determined by a failure of the worker (65%) when using a working equipment. These two clusters are characterized by different accident modes, they present a common factor contributing to the occurrence of the fatalities, which is represented by the failure of humans
Summary
The high rate of occupational accidents in the construction industry represents a major concern in many countries (as outlined by numerous studies and statistics, e.g., in [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]), despite the efforts made by governments and public bodies to reduce it [8,9,10,11,12]. Traditional tools for occupational safety management at the engineer0 s disposal are based on the legislation requirements, technical standards, safety guidelines, investigation reports and accident statistics [20]. The analysis of the latter can provide essential information to designers, project and safety managers for the implementation of adequate preventive measures [21,22,23]. Numerous studies fostering such a cue discuss the quality of data provided by official accidents reports [24,25]
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