Construction Safety Training: Exploring Different Perspectives of Construction Managers and Workers
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual On line
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2020
- Start Date
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June 22, 2020
- End Date
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June 26, 2021
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Construction Engineering
- Page Count
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13
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--34328
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/34328
- Download Count
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776
Paper Authors
Mostafa Namian East Carolina University
Dr. Mostafa Namian is an Assistant Professor of Construction Management at East Carolina University. Mostafa completed his Ph.D. in 2017 from North Carolina State University (NC State). He worked in the construction industry for several years before joining academia. His research interests include 1) Construction Safety Management, 2) Hazard Recognition and Safety Risk Perception, 3) Human Behavior in Construction, and 4) AI in Construction. He is also an OSHA-Authorized construction safety trainer since 2019.
Sharareh Kermanshachi
University of Texas, Arlington
orcid.org/0000-0003-1952-2557
Dr. Sharareh (Sherri) Kermanshachi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Kermanshachi has received her Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University and an MBA from Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta, Cyprus. Her areas of expertise are performance-based modeling, project delivery methods, communication networks, and uncertainty and risk analysis in design and construction of transportation projects. She also has industrial experience as a project manager in multiple building construction projects. Dr. Kermanshachi has conducted several research projects which were awarded by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and Construction Industry Institute (CII). Dr. Kermanshachi has received several prestigious national and regional awards, including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Professional Service Award, ASCE Excellence in Education (ExCEEd) Fellowship, Aggies Commit to Professional Student Educational Experiences, Graduate Teaching Lecturer Fellowship, and Climate Award. She was also the only academic recipient of the Texas and Louisiana Engineering News Record (ENR) Top Young Professional Award in 2017. Dr. Kermanshachi is currently directing a very vibrant construction engineering and education research group and advising several Ph.D. and Master’s students.
Mohammad Khalid
East Carolina University
orcid.org/0000-0001-8668-3022
Mohammad Khalid is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Construction Management at East Carolina University. Khalid received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology, Bangladesh with a research focus on Structural Engineering. He has versatile industry experience with international exposure to multiple heavy civil infrastructure projects as a civil engineer, responsible for administrating design, coordination, safety-risk management, and overall technical supervision. Khalid's research interest includes construction safety performance, UAV applications, human-technology interaction, structural analysis and damage evaluation, and critical off-shore constructability methods.
Ahmed J. Al-Bayati Lawrence Technological University
Dr. Ahmed Al-Bayati is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). Before joining LTU, Dr. Al-Bayati was an assistant professor in the Kimmel School of Construction Management at Western Carolina University (WCU). He earned his Ph.D. in Construction Engineering from Western Michigan University in 2017. His dissertation focused on managing workforce diversity at construction sites to improve safety, quality, and teamwork. He also received a master’s degree in construction management from East Carolina University (ECU) in 2013, and a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Babylon University in 2003. He actively conducts research in the field of construction safety, specializing in safety climate and safety culture, safety training, safety management, and overall process optimization. Dr. Al-Bayati also conducts research on various topics of civil engineerings, such as infrastructure damage prevention process and construction material. He used a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection, data analysis, and data mining methods.
Dr. Al-Bayati's research findings have been published in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE’s Journal of Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, and National Safety Council’s Journal of Safety Research. Dr. Al-Bayati actively serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Construction Safety Committee and International Damage Incident Group (IDIP). IDIP aim is to share ideas on how to develop an international exchange standard for underground utilities' damage prevention and reporting.
Dr. Al-Bayati has more than ten years of experience in the construction industry working in diverse areas of the field, from safety coordinator to site engineer. He is a certified professional engineer (PE) in the state of Michigan, an OSHA-authorized trainer, an Associate DBIA™ certified and certified as a Construction Safety and Health Technician (CHST). Dr. Al-Bayati is one of the instructors at the Latino Workers Safety Center (LWSC) and is an instructor at the OSHA Training Institute Education Center.
Abstract
The construction industry has high rates of fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries. The number of accidents in construction has been steadily increasing in recent years. Every year, more than 60 thousand construction fatalities happen in the world. In the United States, construction has the highest number of fatalities among all industries. In order to address high rates of accidents, researchers and professionals suggest providing safety training to construction workers. However, past research has demonstrated that existing safety training does not fulfill the requirements of a contemporary effective safety training program. In order to enhance safety training, it is essential to have an inclusive understanding of different perspectives of key players of construction projects: managers and workers. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate the perceptions, needs, and expectations concerning construction safety training from two different standpoints of managers and workers. To achieve the research objectives, 53 workers and 79 managers participated in the study. The results showed a significant difference between the workers’ and managers’ perceptions with respect to the effectiveness of provided safety training and needs for enhancement. Workers claimed that safety training that they received is not sufficiently effective and is not provided frequently. On the other hand, managers argued that safety training programs are valuable, but workers are not engaged in safety training programs and do not use the provided safety information in practice. However, the results of this research study demonstrated that the two perceptions can be reconciled by improving mutual understanding. In other words, the gap between these perceptions can be fulfilled by fostering effective communication among workers and managers concerning safety training. Construction professionals and practitioners can benefit from the findings of this study to facilitate effective communication between managers and workers in their construction projects to substantially improve provided safety training and achieve more desirable outcomes.
Namian, M., & Kermanshachi, S., & Khalid, M., & Al-Bayati, A. J. (2020, June), Construction Safety Training: Exploring Different Perspectives of Construction Managers and Workers Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--34328
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