From Accident Causes to Risk Priorities: A Stakeholder-Based Statistical Framework for Construction Safety in India

Abstract

Construction safety is a multidimensional management problem in which technical hazards interact with human, ergonomic, planning, physical, organisational and supervisory conditions. This study develops and empirically examines a stakeholder-based framework that integrates accident-cause classification, Risk Rating (RR), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) - based Risk Priority Number (RPN), and statistical comparison of stakeholder perceptions. A structured cross-sectional survey of 1,250 construction professionals in India was undertaken, comprising 250 architects, 250 design engineers, 250 site engineers, 250 site supervisors and 250 construction workers. Twenty-three accident causes were organised into five domains—ergonomic, planning, physical, person and management activities—and evaluated against eight accident-risk categories. The overall RR ranking placed slips/trips/falls first (14.77), followed by struck by objects (14.23), falling from height (13.00), caught in between (12.17), collapses/cave-ins (9.60), faulty tools (7.95), electrocution (6.23), and fire/explosions (3.75). Stakeholder-specific RPN profiles and cause-wise statistical tests indicated substantial differences for many cause–risk combinations, while a small number of combinations showed non-significant differences. The findings demonstrate that construction risk cannot be understood adequately from a single stakeholder or a single risk score. This study contributes an integrated decision-support framework that connects cause identification, stakeholder perception, risk prioritisation, statistical evidence and targeted controls, with particular relevance to the Indian construction context.