A framework for evaluating the safety performance of construction contractors

Abstract

Improvements to contracting organisations’ safety standards could inevitably be helped by continuous monitoring and review of their safety performance. To achieve this, an objective Safety Performance Evaluation (SPE) framework is a prerequisite. Although various methods of SPE have been proposed, a more comprehensive SPE framework which takes into account factors pertinent to an organisation and its project has yet to be realised. In this paper, the importance of SPE factors is examined through a questionnaire survey conducted in Hong Kong. The results of the questionnaire survey are used to develop a SPE framework suitable for use in the construction industry and protocols for evaluating the safety performance at the organisational and project levels. Through this analytical framework, SPE scores can be computed which would facilitate the benchmarking process and various initiatives to improve the safety performance of construction contractors.