Parametric evaluation of safety culture in construction industries

Global studies and research reveals that, construction is the most hazardous process and is responsible for severe and fatal injuries. The construction process is a phenomenal, complex, temporary and complicated activity, it demands for aversatile, comprehensive and easy-to–adopt parametric approach to evaluate and improve its safety performance. The parameters are Lead and Lag indicators. The Lead indicators are pro-active and lag indicators are reactive. It has been the traditional and historical practice, to report the safety performance by the Lag indicators like number of injuries, man-days lost, extent of disability, compensation etc. The author during the course of periodic review of progress observed that accidents and its consequences are the only parameters reported on the safety performance of the construction project. This traditional practice doesn’t seem to be the right approach as the absence of accident does not mean that the safety performance is good. At present, nationally or internationally, there are no uniform, harmonized or standardised and accepted bench – marking metrics / indicators available for reporting, comparing and improving safety performance in any industry. In this study the key parameters combining the Lead and Lag indicators are identified and quantified for construction industry, based on the safety performance of a group of 30 organisations which consists of construction, production and processing, services and research and development units. The purpose is to objectively assess the safety performance. This exercise facilitates in building the robust Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management System in the construction industry.