Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118

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Safety Science
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/safety

Occupational health and safety in construction industry in Pakistan using

modified-SIRA method
⁎
Muhammad Waseem Khana, Yousaf Alib, Fabio De Felicec, Antonella Petrillod,
a
Department of Management Science & Humanities, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Pakistan
b
Department of Management Science & Humanities, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology, Topi, Swabi, KPK, Pakistan
c
University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Cassino, Italy
d
University of Naples “Parthenope”, Department of Engineering, Isola C4, Centro Direzionale Napoli, Italy

ARTICL E INFO A B S T R A C T

Keywords:
For any industry, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is a business strategy to foster a safe and healthy
OHS
work environment. In the developed countries, the companies are focusing on the workplace safety in order
Construction
industry Modified-
to reduce the harmful results i.e. harmful impacts on the human health, environment, economy, productivity,
SIRA society and reputation of a company. On the other hand, the construction industry (CI) in developing
RPN countries like Pakistan are not properly focusing on the OHS because of the high cost of personal protective
Fuzzy-TOPSIS equipment (PPE), safety trainings and activities. The objective of this research paper is to identify the critical
hazards, its causes and consequences and to prioritize the most critical and harmful criteria and alternatives.
For this purpose, a method called Modified-Safety Improve Risk Assessment (Modified-SIRA) was used.
Within the Modified-SIRA, the criteria and alternatives are prioritized based on Risk Priority Number (RPN)
and MCDM methodology called Fuzzy-TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal
Solution), respectively. The results of RPN shows that most of the accidents in CI of Pakistan occurs due to
the deficiency of PPEs followed by Electrocution due to electrical equipment, improper way of using the
available PPE and falling of personnel from elevated platforms. Similarly, the results of Fuzzy-TOPSIS
shows that chemical and fire hazards are the most responsible for the accidents in CI of Pakistan.

1. Introduction
Construction industry (CI) plays a vital role in the economy of any
country either developing or developed. It is observed that CI
contributes a lot to the economic growth of a country (Le et al., 2014).
CI include raw materials, equipment, energy and labors. Labor is
considered as a backbone of CI because of the largest labor force
utilization in con- struction. In most of the developed and some
developing countries, the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) of the
labor has given a significant consideration. Table 1 shows that the
gross domestic product (GDP) from construction in different developed
countries has been increased sig- nificantly, including Pakistan.
These values have been taken from
https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/gdp-from-construction (Anon.,
2018).
CI is considered one of the most dangerous industry for workers
(Amiri et al., 2017). The accidents at construction sites throughout the
globe have affected the labors’ health, equipment, property and even-
tually the productivity and economy of the country. The rise in the
accident rates occurs due to the change in human behavior and site
conditions (Abdelhamid and Everett, 2000). Though the technological
advancement have brought many advantages to the CI but it also
have some limitations (Farooqui et al., 2008). In developed
countries, the OHS practices are regularly implemented, whereas in
developing countries, the OHS regulations are not focused properly
(Lodi et al., 2008). In Pakistan, 7.31% of the labor force are
employed in the CI (Statistics, 2016). Unsafe conditions in work
environment in a devel- oping country like Pakistan imply low
productivity, time delay and health problems (Farooqui et al., 2008).
In most of the construction companies of Pakistan, the safety
regulations are just a “formalism” without any practical
implementation. That is the reason why the ac- cident rates on
safety sites are very high in Pakistan. However, as suggest by
Choudhry et al. (2008), it is very important for a country to ensure a
high national-level organization that deal with the safety re- lated
problems in any industry. In Pakistan, the regulations of OHS are
extremely unsatisfactory. Even some of the industries do not have
safety policies or regulations (Memon et al., 2017). In most of the
CIs, it is

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: yousafkhan@giki.edu.pk (Y. Ali), defelice@unicas.it (F. De Felice), antonella.petrillo@uniparthenope.it (A. Petrillo).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.05.001
Received 30 December 2018; Received in revised form 4 March 2019; Accepted 4 May 2019
Available online 15 May 2019
0925-7535/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118

Nomenclature MCDM Multi-Criteria-Decision Making

OHS Occupational Health and Safety
AHP Analytical Hierarchy Process PPE Personal Protective Equipment
ANP Analytical Network Process RPN Risk Priority Number
CI Construction Industry TOPSIS Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal
GDP Gross Domestic Product Solution
Modified-SIRA Modified-Safety Improve Risk VIKOR VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje
Assessment

observed that “reactive” approach is followed instead of the “proactive” is related with the health, safety and wellbeing of workers at work site
approach i.e. action is taken after the happening of accidents. The (Hale et al., 2010). “CI is an industry whose products and services
most common health and safety problems in CI are Work at height, produce long-lasting buildings”. CI includes construction, maintenance,
Sus- pended objects, Electrocution due to electrical equipment, alteration and demolition of buildings (Hillebrandt, 2000). CI is a very
Impalement due to sharp edges, Protruding nails from the objects, sensitive industry because it involve the extensive risks and threats to
Slippery floor due to liquids, Deficiency of PPEs, improper use of the workers (Memon et al., 2017). Construction safety is a process
PPE, improper way of handling construction materials, absence of related to construction industry without causing any damage to the
guards around the cutters, bare electrical wires, improper humans, products and services. A lot of recent studies have been
communication, improper use of scaf- folding, Improper safety performed on the safety at construction sites throughout the globe
measures near power generators, high pres- surized gas cylinders, (Kim and Chi, 2019; Grill and Nielsen, 2019; Chinda et al., 2019).
etc. These studies have recommended some techniques and procedures
Therefore, the aim of this paper is threefold. Firstly, to identify the that will help in redu- cing the health, products and service issues.
most important hazards in construction industry of a developing According to Ahmed et al. (2000), most of the construction labors
country like Pakistan. Secondly, to identify and rank the most critical of encounter serious health in- juries and health issues. In a study
those hazards i.e. criteria and alternative based on Risk Priority conducted by Longinos et al. (2017), the conditions of health and
Number (RPN) and Fuzzy-TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference safety of the four main industrial sectors in Pakistan have been
by Similarity to Ideal Solution) methodology, respectively. Thirdly, to analyzed for the years from 2010 to 2015. The in- dustries considered
provide the corrective actions for the hazards. in the study was agriculture, manufacturing, con- struction, and
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: in Section 2 literature mining and quarrying industries. The suggestions have been
review is presented. Section 3 defines the research method. Results recommended for the industries mentioned above.
and Analysis is presented in Section 4. In Section 5 discussion of In a study by Mohamed and Ali (2005), the main health and safety
results is presented. Finally, the main conclusion of the research and issues regarding the construction safety management in developing
future de- velopments are summarized in Section 6. countries has been considered. This study also discussed the factors
that are significantly related to the safe behavior. Another study
2. Literature review: Perspective on occupational health and performed by Fung et al. (2010), the risk assessment model for CI
safety has been de- veloped. It is concluded from the study that risk
assessment model is very beneficial for predicting those
Since the last decade, the developed as well as developing construction activities that have high level risks. Furthermore, in
countries have emphasized the OHS in different industries in order another research performed by Liao and Perng (2008), the data
to help in preventing the accidents at work. OHS is an mining procedure has been followed in order to identify different
interdisciplinary area and aspects of injuries in CI of Taiwan. The results of the study provided a
way for more effective inspection strategies and risk prevention
Table 1 techniques. A study was conducted by Langford et al. (2000) whose
GDP from construction of different developed and developing countries in main objective was to determine those attitudes that are connected to
2018. the effectiveness of behavioral management programs. Fig. 1
Source: https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/gdp-from-construction compares the occupational injuries that have been occurred in
(Anon., 2018).
different industries or sectors of Pakistan from 2013 to 2015.
Country Previous Highest (2018) (USD)
The percentage contribution of injuries occurred in CI of
Pakistan from 2010 to 2015 are shown in Fig. 2.
Pakistan 2113.65 2304.89 Million Different methodologies have been used by different researchers in
Turkey 5059577.20 6810161.40 order to identify the factors, in this case, hazards. Similarly, different
Mexico 67502.64 70280.63 Million
methods have been used to take the most efficient decisions and rank
Indonesia 17.9201 18.7842 Billion
Canada 97091.28 98888.63 Million the best alternatives. In one study conducted by Nawaz and Ali (2018),
South Africa 7812.84 7938.30 Million the multi-criteria decision analysis techniques, ANP and TOPSIS are
Australia 23630.81 24705.07 Million used in order to study different parameters that affects the water per-
Japan 254.914 381.318 Billion formance of water treatment plants. In another study (Ishfaq et al.,
United Kingdom 37011.59 37342.66 Million
2018) have used three methodologies i.e. AHP, TOPSIS and VIKOR in
France 31753.00 38213.53 Million
Saudi Arabia 7688.80 8525.87 Million order to select the best renewable energy sources in Pakistan.
China 1431.95 8321.41 Million Similarly, in another research study, the AHP and TOPSIS are used
Argentina 606.725 615.084 Million by Ali et al. (2018a,b) in order to select the most beneficial
South Korea 15.8780 15.9075 Billion
alternative of waste management. Furthermore, Ali et al. (2018a,b)
Italy 18482.76 27849.89 Million
Spain 18259.94 32865.62 Million
have used AHP in order to select the most suitable site for the
Brazil 4007.38 5387.10 Million installation of wind power plant. Moreover, different methodologies
Netherland 9335.20 10065.81 Million have been used in multiple studies related to health and safety. In
Singapore 3345.02 3598.11 Million their study Silvestri et al. (2012) have used Failure Mode, Effects and
India 33.9980 35.0825 Billion
Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and Ana- lytical Hierarchy
Russia 10.8493 26.3395 Billion
United States 660 783 Billion
Process/Analytical Network Process (AHP/ANP) in order to rank
Germany 36.2517 45.9916 Billion 1
M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
different hazards and their consequences. In our study, instead,
we have used a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM)

1
M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118

Occupational Injuries in Different Industries

Community, social and personal services

Financing, insurance, real estate
and…
Transport, storage and communication
Wholesale & retail trade and restaurants &…
Construction
Electricity, gas and
water
Manufacturing
Mining & quarrying
Agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

2014-2015 2013-14

Fig. 1. Percentage of occupational injuries in different industries of Pakistan from 2013 to 2015.
Source: LFS (2014–15).

technique, called Fuzzy-TOPSIS. Furthermore, we also have used the
modified form of a new methodology called Safety Improve Risk As-
sessment (SIRA), which was first used by Silvestri et al. (2012). These
methodologies are used in order to identify the hazards, its causes
and consequences in CI of Pakistan and to rank the hazards that are
most critical in CI.
3. Research method
Different researchers have used different methodologies for their
studies that are either related to OHS or ranking of different factors.
Every methodology has its own advantages and limitations. In this
study, we have used a technique, called Modified-Safety Improve Risk
Assessment (Modified-SIRA). This method have been adapted from a
study conducted by Silvestri et al. (2012). We have modified the SIRA
by adding some steps i.e. identification of causes and consequences
of hazards (criteria) in the category of risk identification. In risk
evalua- tion category, two steps i.e. assignment of probabilities of
occurrence
(O), severity (S) and detection (D), and prioritization of criteria based
on RPN, are added. In the category of risk hierarchization, the AHP/
ANP are replaced with an MCDM technique called Fuzzy-TOPSIS. A
Fuzzy-TOPSIS technique is used instead of AHP because in AHP, the
criteria are independent and will result in an over evaluated weight in
the decision. AHP is used when the data is clear while the Fuzzy-
TOPSIS are used because of the existence of fuzziness in the data.
Moreover, another modification has been performed by adding the
corrective ac- tions. The data for this study has been collected from
22 respondents (expert team), all belongs to the construction industry.
The respondents include safety health and safety managers (27%),
safety supervisors (40%) workers (29%) and, doctors and surgeons
(4%). Fig. 3 shows the framework of Modified-SIRA which is followed
in this study. For this study, a total of twenty-two responses have
been collected from the health and safety professionals in different
construction companies of Pakistan. Through the questionnaire, the
weights of criteria, ratings of alternatives based on criteria, and
probabilities of occurrences (O), severity (S) and detection (D) of
hazards have been obtained. Moreover,

Injuries in Construction Industries

15,24% 16,27%
20,00% 13,10% 14,1
15,00%
10,00%
5,00%
0,00%
2010-2011 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015

YEAR

1
M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
Fig. 2. Percentage Distribution of Employed Persons who suffered Occupational Injuries/Diseases.
Source: Longinos et al. (2017).

1
M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118

Fig. 3. Modified-SIRA methodology.

the respondents have suggested the causes and consequences of minimizes the cost. In this study, we have used the triangular Fuzzy-
hazards as well as the corrective actions that are necessary for reducing TOPSIS. The following are the steps of Fuzzy-TOPSIS.
or eliminating those hazards.
Step 1. Assign rating to the alternatives and criteria
3.1. Modified-SIRA
Let’s assume that we have N number of decision makers. The rating
th
The Modified-SIRA is categorized into three main steps i.e. risk forn the Nn decision
n n
maker is about alternative nXi w.r.tn to criteria
n n
Cj is
identification, risk evaluation and risk hierarchization. In risk identifi- mij = (aij, bij, cij) and weight of criteria Cj is wij = (wj1, wj2, wj3). The
cation, the hazards are identified as shown in Table 2. Moreover, the weights for criteria and rating for alternatives are presented in Tables 2
impacts as well as the probability of these hazards are assigned. In and 3, respectively.
risk evaluation, the Risk Priority Number (RPN) is calculated. The
RPN is the multiple of probability of occurrence (O), the severity (S) Step 2. Calculate the fuzzy ratings for alternatives and fuzzy weights
of con- sequences and the probability of detection (D) as shown in for criteria
expression (1).
The fuzzy rating of ith alternative mk = (ak , bk , ck ) w.r.t jth criteria
is
ij ij ij ij
RPN = S × O × D (1)
obtained as:
The scale selected for all these probabilities are from 1 to 10. Next, N
the RPN of all the hazards are added to obtain the total risk priority 1 n
aij = minn {a bij = ij = maxn {c n}
n
},
i bi c i

number (TRPN). The third step of Modified-SIRA is risk hierarchization N n=1 (2)
in
arewhich
usedthe multi-criteria
in order to rankdecision
the mostmaking
criticaltechniques, Fuzzy-TOPSIS
hazard. Furthermore, the n
The
w fuzzy weight n n n
ij = (wj1, wj2, wj3) for the criteria Cj is obtained
corrective actions are also provided in order to control the occurrence as:
of the most critical hazards. At the end, the modified safety policy is
recommended to the government and private organizations in order to
improve the OHS practices in all organizations, especially Table 2
construction.
positive ideal solution and farthest from the negative ideal
3.2. Fuzzy-TOPSIS solution. Positive

Fuzzy set theory was originated by Zadeh in 1965 (Zadeh, 1972).

Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution
(TOPSIS) was first initiated by Hwang and Yoon (1981). According to
Fuzzy-TOPSIS, the selected alternative should be nearest to the
1
M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
Weights for criteria (Chen, 2000). Medium Low (ML) (0.1, 0.3, 0.5)
Medium (M) (0.3, 0.5, 0.7)
Linguistics Variables Weights
Medium High (MH) (0.5, 0.7, 0.9)
High (H) (0.7, 0.9, 1.0)
Very Low (VL) (0, 0, 0.1)
Very High (VH) (0.9, 1.0, 1.0)
Low (L) (0, 0.1, 0.3)
ideal solution is the solution which maximizes the benefit criteria and

1
M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118

Table 3
4. Results and analysis
Ratings for criteria (Chen, 2000).

Linguistics Variables Ratings 4.1. Risk identification

Very Low (VL) (0, 0, 1)
Low (L) (0, 1, 3)
4.1.1. Hazard Identification: criteria and decision-making alternatives
Medium Low (ML) (1, 3, 5) In this step, fifteen common and the most prominent hazards have
Medium (M) (3, 5, 7) been identified considering the construction industry and literature
Medium High (MH) (5, 7, 9) review (Ercelawn and Nauman, 2001; Cagno et al., 2014; Broberg and
High (H) (7, 9, 10)
Hermund, 2004; Hussain et al., 2019).
Very High (VH) (9, 10, 10)
In detail, the criteria that are considered for this study are defined
as:
N
1
wj1 = minn {wn wj2 = n
wj3 = max n {w n – Criteria 1. Work at height: When the workers are working at ele-
j N wj2 (3)
}, n=1 }
j vated surfaces or platforms, they may fall from those surfaces due
to the reasons such as electrical shock while using electrical
equip-
Step 3. Measure the normalized fuzzy matrix ment, slipping due to greasy surface, improper use of safety belts
by the workers, shock due to mechanical equipment, jumping of
The normalized decision matrix is P = [pij], workers from the elevated surfaces to prevent their selves from the
where fire or psychosocial problems.
aij – Criteria 2. Suspended objects: The objects may fall from the height
bij cij
pij , , and c j = minn {cij} (benefit when they are not properly grasped by other workers working at
= criteria)
cj cj cj (4) height (either unintentional or mental problems), the objects fall
due to improper handling by mechanical or electrical equipment
aj aj aj (such as belts, chains, wires etc.), the falling of objects when
slips on
pij , , and c j = minn {cij} (Cost the floor due to chemicals, the falling of beams etc. due to fire.
= Criteria)
cij bij aij (5) – Criteria 3. Electrocution due to electrical equipment due to electrical
equipment. The Electrocution due to electrical equipment occurs due
Step 4. Calculate the weighted normalized fuzzy matrix to the contact of electric wires with liquid or chemicals, faulty
equipment, damaged extension leads, deteriorated wiring at con-
In this step, the weighted normalized fuzzy decision matrix is struction place, unsafe mechanical or electrical tools, improper
ob- tained as U = (uij), electric sockets, mental problems of the workers, improper marking
where uij = pij × wij. of construction areas. Electrocution due to electrical equipment
may also cause the fire due to electric shocks.
Step 5. Compute the positive and negative ideal solution – Criteria 4. Impalement due to sharp edges. Impalement may
occur when the workers falls on the steel bars or any solid vertical
The positive and negative ideal solution are; objects or when the body part of the worker comes in contact with
the steel bars that are usually used to reinforce concrete at
construction sites.
F = u1 , u 2 , un (6) It may be harmful when the electric wires come in contact with the
steel bars which in turn may damage the workers. Moreover, the
worker may fall from the mechanically driven lifters on the steel
F = u1 , u 2 un (7) bars. The workers that are mentally unwell, may damage by the
impalement hazard. A worker who walks on the chemicals near the
where u j = (1, 1, 1) and u j = (0, 0, 0), j = (1, 2 … n).
steel bars may slip and fall on the steel bars.
– Criteria 5. Protruding nails from the objects from the objects.
Step 6. Compute the distance from each alternative to positive and ne-
The nails that protrudes from the wood, boards, planks,
gative solution
scaffoldings, pulleys, electrical socket boards, tires, sharp edges
n of container containing chemicals etc. may cause harm to the
D = d (uij , u j ) workers at con- struction site. Moreover, the nails may leave by
j=1 (8) the workers when they are in hurry or in mental stress.
– Criteria 6. Slippery floor due to liquids due to liquids. The
n workers may slip on the floor in the presence of chemicals,
D = d (uij , u j ) grease or any other liquid. These workers may fall on the
j=1 (9) mechanical and elec- trical running equipment, the bare electric
wires and the steel bars that may harm the worker. Moreover, the
where ‘d’ shows distance between two fuzzy numbers. chemicals (such as diesel or petrol that are used for electric
generators) on the floor may cause fire when it comes in contact
Step 7. Calculate the closeness coefficient (CC) for each alternative with electric spark etc. The accident due to the Slippery floor
due to liquids may create some mental problems like stress,
The CC can be calculated as; fatigue and fear.
– Criteria 7. Deficiency of PPEs. The use of insufficient PPEs may
create all the problems or accidents that are mentioned in this study.
CC = Di /Di + D+ Step 8. Rank the alternatives
i

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M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
(10) mple, the unavailability of safety shoes may cause damage to the
for
feet when comes in contact with hard surface or Protruding nails
ex
from the objects, unavailability of safety belts may cause the
a
worker to fall on surface etc.
Those alternatives that have the highest CC value is considered as a – Criteria 8. Improper use of PPE. Sometimes the improper use of
best alternative. PPEs may create different hazards that in turn may create
different

1
M.W. Khan, et al.
problems. For example, if the safety belts are not properly used by
the worker at construction site, he/she may fall from the elevated
surface that may cause serious injuries or even death. Moreover, if
the proper fire safety jackets are not worn by the workers who are
working at high temperature construction sites, there body may
burn.
– Criteria 9. Improper way of handling the construction
materials. Usually the construction materials such as steel bars,
wood, cement, chemicals, mechanical and electrical equipment,
sand, concrete blocks, bricks and all the other relevant materials
are mishandling by the workers at construction site. This lead to
create problems for the workers, property and economic instability
of the company.
– Criteria 10. Absence of guards around the cutter. Workers get
harmed when working on mechanical or electrical equipment in the
absence of guards surround that equipment. The chemicals may
splash from the equipment and may come in contact with the
worker’s body. Moreover, if any technical problem causes the fire
in the absence of guards, it may damage the worker’s body and
may also make him/ her mental problems.
– Criteria 11. Bare electrical wires. The electric wires or cables that
are used in electrical equipment may damage by the sharp edges
of the mechanical equipment or by any other object. This may
create problems such as the electric shock to the workers or may
create the fire. Similarly, if the bare wires come in contact with the
body parts of the workers that are contaminated with chemicals
may also create problems for the workers.
– Criteria 12. Improper communication. Improper communication is
one of the main causes of all the hazards and accidents at con-
struction site. For example, if the presence of the harmful
chemicals or the bare wire in a point of construction site is
not properly communicated to the workers, it may damage the
worker or prop- erty.
– Criteria 13. Improper use of scaffolding. When the scaffolding
either supported or suspended are not properly tie off, it may
cause dif- ferent accidents such as falling of a worker from the
height on floor or on the mechanical or electrical equipment, falling
of chemicals or any other material from the height, damage to
the property, and damage to the mental health of the worker.
– Criteria 14. Improper safety measures near power generators. The
generators that are used for power generation and for carrying the
materials throughout the construction site, may create problems
and hazards. For example, the use of chemicals near the
generators may cause fire which in turn may damage the workers’
health, electrical and mechanical equipment and any other
property.
– Criteria 15. High pressurized gas cylinders. The use of high
pressur- ized gas cylinder in the high temperature areas may
cause the ex- plosion of cylinder which may damage the workers
and property. Similarly, the use of cylinder near the running
mechanical or elec- trical equipment may damage due to the
improper working of these equipment.
Table 4
Alternatives considered in the study.
# Alternatives Description/Motivation of the
A1 Electrical Hazards An electrical hazard is a dangerous condition where a worker can or does make electrical contact with energized equipment or a conductor. From that
contact, the person may sustain an injury from shock, and there is a potential for the worker to receive an arc flash (electrical explosion) burn, thermal
burn or blast injury
A2 Mechanical Mechanical hazards are created as a result of either powered or manual (human) use of tools, equipment or machinery and plant
A3 Chemical A chemical hazard is a type of occupational hazard caused by exposure to chemicals in the workplace. Exposure to chemicals in the workplace can cause
acute or long-term detrimental health effects
A4 Fire Fire hazards are workplace hazards that involve the presence of flame or the risk of an uncontrolled fire. Fire hazards include: Live flames, Hot objects,
Flammable chemicals, Chemicals that can aggravate a fire
A5 Psychosocial A psychological hazard is any hazard that affects the mental well-being or mental health of the worker and impacting the worker's ability to work in a
healthy and safe manner
1
Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
After the definition of the 15 criteria, a set of decision-making of
alternatives have been designed to address the objectives of the pro-
blem. Alternatives reflect substantially the different priorities across the
aim of the study and present for decision makers with real options and
choices.
Good solutions are not possible without good alternatives. Initially,
the task has been to generate a range of creative alternatives.
Alternatives have been defined by 22 respondents (the expert team) of
different construction industries of Pakistan.
Results showed that Electrical Hazards, Mechanical, Chemical,
Fire and Psychosocial represent the most relevant alternatives for the
sce- nario under study. These alternatives have been carefully
evaluated technically, in terms of their estimated consequences, as
summarized in Table 4.
4.1.2. Assign hazards impact
Hazards that are considered in this study have many causes and
impacts or consequences. From Table 5, it can be observed that all
the hazards have multiple causes. Similarly, these hazards have
negative impacts on the human health, environment, economy,
productivity, society and the reputation of a construction company.
The information regarding causes and consequences of hazards are
obtained from the twenty-two OHS professionals in CI of Pakistan. The
prevention of these hazards would help in reducing all the problems
that are mentioned above.
4.2. Risk evaluation
4.2.1. Calculation of RPN and TRPN index
The risk priority number (RPN) for all the fifteen criteria is calcu-
lated by multiplying the probability of occurrence (O), the severity (S)
of consequences and the probability of detection (D). The values of O,
S and D are obtained from the 22 respondents (the expert team) of
dif- ferent construction industries of Pakistan. The overall values of
RPN for each criterion are obtained by taking the average of O, S
and D from twenty-two responses. Based on RPN values, the
criteria (risks) are ranked from the most important to the least
important. Furthermore, the total risk priority number (TRPN) is
calculated by taking the sum of all the RPN values of all the 15
criteria. The values of RPN and TRPN are presented in Table 6.
It can be seen from Table 7, that the criteria have been prioritized
based on RPN. It is found that the top potential hazard in construction
industries of Pakistan is the deficiency of PPEs. Most of the health and
safety professionals recommended to properly provide all the
necessary PPE that are required for workers. Moreover, the
Electrocution due to electrical equipment is considered as one of the
most dangerous ha- zards. All those sources that results in
Electrocution due to electrical equipment, should be eliminated. The
third most important hazard that should be controlled is to give
training to the workers regarding the proper way of using PPE.
Furthermore, the Slippery floor due to liquids
M.W. Khan, et al.
Table 5
Causes and impacts of Hazards.
Hazard
Deficiency of PPEs
Electrocution due to electrical equipment
Improper use of PPE
Falling of personnel from the elevated
platforms
Suspended objects
Slippery floor due to liquids
Protruding nails from the objects
Impalement due to sharp edges
High pressurized gas cylinders
Absence of guards around the cutters
Bare electrical wires
Improper safety measures near power
generators
Improper communication
Improper way of handling construction
materials
Improper use of scaffolding
is considered as one of the most critical hazards followed by
Protruding nails from the objects, Impalement due to sharp edges,
high pressurized gas cylinders, absence of guards around the
cutters, bare electrical wires, Improper safety measures near power
generators and improper communication. The two hazards that can
be occur very rare are im- proper way of handling construction
materials and improper use of
Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
Causes Impacts or Consequences of hazards
– Unawareness – May cause death or disability
– Improper communication – Affect the productivity
– Ineffective safety rules and regulations – Affect the company reputation
– Faulty appliances – May cause death, disability, cardiac arrest, burning of
– Damaged extension leads body or unconsciousness
– Contact of electrical products with water – Negatively affect the productivity
– Faulty electrical wires – Material can be damage
– Downed power lines – Affect the productivity
– Lightning strike – Affect the company reputation
– Untrained employees – Death or Disability
– Unavailability of proper safety rules and regulations – Affect the productivity
– Affect the company reputation
– No proper use of PPE – May cause death or disability to human
– Unavailability of canopies or nets – Affect the productivity
– Improper handling of tools – Affect the company reputation
– Dizziness
– No warning signs about work going on overhead – May cause death or disability to human
– Objects falling from construction scaffolding – Negatively affect the productivity
– Dropped tools and equipment being used on elevated surface – Material can be damage
– Loose objects that fall off – Create economic problems for a company/employer
– Improperly handling of materials being lifted – Affect the company reputation
– Use of damaged to tool box
– Use of damaged elevators
– Liquids spills over the surface – May cause death or disability due to head injury or
– Greasy floor injury of other body parts
– Worn-out sole of shoes – Negative effects on productivity
– Affect the company reputation
– Presence of scrap parts/materials that contain nails – May cause light or severe injuries
– Protruding nails from the objects from scaffolding – Negative impact on productivity
– Protruding nails from the objects during wood working or electric – Negative impact on company reputation
works
– Uncover iron/steel bars – May lead to cause injuries
– Absence of warning signs – Negative impact on productivity
– Negative impact on company reputation
– Amount of gas in a cylinder exceed the standard value – Cylinder may explode
– Poor quality or corroded cylinders – May cause fire
– Cylinders placed in extreme temperature – May cause severe injuries or death of workers
– Untrained employees – May cause severe injuries ie cuts the body parts
– Improper communication – Negative impact on productivity
– Negative impact on company reputation
– Improper check and balance system of electric items – May cause fire
– Use of wire in an area where cutters or pointed items are placed – May cause severe skin injuries or death
– Overheated wires – May harm the equipment
– Improper communication – Negative impact on productivity
– Negative impact on company reputation
– Unaware employees – May cause fire
– Improper implementation of safety rules and regulations – May cause severe injuries
– Unavailability of warning signs – Harm the equipment in work area
– No proper way of communication – Results in damage or loss of human health or property
– Improper implementation of safety rules and regulations
– Insufficient training of employees – May result in sprain, strain, cuts and fractures of body
– Unawareness about the equipment, materials etc, need to be parts
transported from one place to another place – May damage the materials
– Unavailability of automated handling of materials – Negative effects on productivity
– Affect the company reputation
– Failures at attachment points – Damage the construction materials
– Improper construction rules – Harmful for the lives of employees
– Changing environmental conditions ie wind, high temperatures, – May affect the reputation of a company
etc.
scaffolding.
4.3. Risk hierarchisation
4.3.1. Fuzzy TOPSIS model
The fuzzy TOPSIS model has been applied on the data collected
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M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118

Table 6
properly implementing the safety rules and regulations. Most of the
Ranking of criteria based on Risk Priority Number (RPN).
construction companies do not have their proper safety rules.
Criteria O S D RPN Ranking
5. Discussion
C7: Deficiency of PPEs 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.336 1
C3: Electrocution due to electrical equipment 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.24 2 In this study, the main hazards that are very prominent in the CI of
C8: Improper use of PPE 0.9 0.5 0.5 0.225 3 Pakistan, are considered. After analyzing the data through the
C1: Work at height 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.21 4 Modified-SIRA, the results show the most critical and important
C2: Suspended objects 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.18 5
C6: Slippery floor due to liquids 0.8 0.2 0.9 0.144 6
hazards based on RPN (for criteria) and an MCDM methodology,
C5: Protruding nails from the objects 0.5 0.3 0.9 0.135 7 Fuzzy-TOPSIS (for alternatives). Based on RPN, as shown in Table 6,
C4: Impalement due to sharp edges 0.4 0.4 0.8 0.128 8 the deficiency of PPEs is the most dangerous cause of accidents that
C15: High pressurized gas cylinders 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.096 9 may occurs in CI of Pakistan. This hazard is followed by the other
C10: Absence of guards around the cutters 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.096 10
hazards as shown in the same Table 6. Similarly, Table 7 shows the
C11: Bare electrical wires 0.3 0.7 0.4 0.084 11
C14: Improper safety measures near power 0.2 0.7 0.3 0.042 12
order of the most critical alternatives based on closeness coefficient
generators values. Table 7 depicts that chemical hazards are the most harmful
C12: Improper communication 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.036 13 and critical hazard that need to be controlled. The materials that are
C9: Improper way of handling construction
materials
0.3 0.2 0.4 0.024 14 used in large quantity in con- struction industry of Pakistan are joint
compound, floor tile, shingles, cement board, coatings, elastomers,
C13: Improper use of scaffolding 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.012 15
thermal insulation boards, bricks, concrete, adhesives, sealants,
TRPN 1.988 pipes, glass and plywood. These con-
struction materials cause environment, human health and economic
related problems. The construction materials such as joint compound,
Table 7 shingles, cement board, pipes and floor tiles contain asbestos causes
Ranking of alternatives based on closeness coefficients. pulmonary diseases and lung cancer. The thermal insulation boards are
Alternatives Closeness Coefficient Ranking halogenated flame retardants that cause cancer and birth defects. The
concrete, bricks and glass contain silica which cause lungs cancer and
A3 Chemical Hazards 0.580725332 1 construction companies of Pakistan, that the employees are not
A4 Fire 0.562834679 2
A2Psychosocial
A5 Mechanical Hazards
Hazards 0.55588937
0.551922733 34
A1 Electrical Hazards 0.543054291 5

from the twenty-two health and safety professionals of different con-

struction companies of Pakistan. The weights have been given by the
professionals to criteria where the ratings are allotted to five alter-
natives based on fifteen criteria. All the steps of Fuzzy TOPSIS metho-
dology have been applied and at the end the alternatives i.e. the major
hazards, are prioritized based on the closeness coefficient (CC) values
for each alternative.

4.3.2. Prioritization of alternatives

All the five alternatives are prioritized and ranked based on the
closeness coefficient (CC) values obtained for each alternative as
result of Fuzzy TOPSIS methodology. The CC values for the
alternatives are given Table 7.
According to the results of Fuzzy TOPSIS methodology, the
chemical hazards are considered as the most important and critical
alternative that the construction industry of Pakistan is facing. Most
of the acci- dents in construction industry occur due to the chemical
hazards. Fire hazards are considered as the second most important
hazard that occur in construction industry of Pakistan. Next to the
fire hazards, me- chanical hazards are the most harmful hazards
that should be con- trolled in order to prevent the workers and
property from accidents. Psychosocial and electrical hazards are the
hazards that are occurred less frequently in construction industry of
Pakistan.

4.3.3. Corrective actions

In this section, the corrective actions for controlling the occurrence
of hazards and their harmful consequences and impact on employees,
environment, economy, productivity, society, and reputation of com-
pany are presented as shown in Table 8. These corrective actions are
suggested by the twenty-two OHS professionals in different construc-
tion companies of Pakistan. The construction companies should prop-
erly train the employees regarding the OHS. Moreover, the companies
should assign an adequate budget for safety purposes especially, the
personal protective equipment (PPE). It is observed in most of the
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M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
silicosis, when inhaled. The plywood contain formaldehyde which
cause respiratory and skin problems. Moreover, these chemicals
cause the environmental problems like climate change and
pollution which lead to the economic problems.
It is evident that most of the CI in Pakistan are giving priority to
the safety at workplaces. The construction companies are
considering it very costly to hire the safety professionals and
supervisors. Also, these companies are afraid to provide a full fledge
safety equipment i.e. PPE, because of its high costs. Moreover, the
safety training sessions that are very necessary for the employees
who belong to any industry are not focused on, by the construction
companies of Pakistan. It has been observed in different
construction companies, that there was no proper mechanism for
sorting the construction materials and equipment in a particular
order. That’s why, the wires of electrical equipment were placed
on the pavement that could results in falling of the personnel
passing through those pavements. Most of the safety related
accidents such as Electrocution due to electrical equipment,
bursting of gas cy- linders, nails protruding from woods, cutting of
body parts due to un- guarded cutters etc. are observed daily at
construction sites but the owners and top management of the
construction companies are not giving proper attention.
There are many common reasons to this attitude of top
manage- ment. The first reason is that the top management want to
cut cost and improve the profit margin. The second reason is the
unavailability of technical safety skills evaluation of the workers. The
third reason is the involvement of owners of construction companies
in the government. The fourth reason is the unserious attitude of
government. The fifth reason is the improper implementation of
safety rules and regulations. The sixth reason is the unawareness
of employees. The employees usually do not know when to
respond or who should they call during and after the occurrence of
accidents. The employees are usually afraid of pointing out the
hazards because of the insecurity regarding their job.

6. Conclusi
on

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is considered very

important for any industry i.e. manufacturing, agriculture, mining,
communica- tion, textile, construction and even services. In
developed countries, the government and companies are working on
improving the safety con- ditions at workplaces as well as to reduce
the occurrence of hazards and

1
M.W. Khan, et al.
Table 8
Corrective Actions for controlling the hazards and its harmful impacts.
Hazards
Deficiency of PPEs
Electrocution due to electrical equipment
Improper use of PPE
Falling of personnel from the elevated platforms
Suspended objects
Slippery floor due to liquids
Protruding nails from the objects
Impalement due to sharp edges
High pressurized gas cylinders
Absence of guards around the cutters
Bare electrical wires
Improper safety measures near power generators
Improper communication
Improper way of handling construction materials
Improper use of scaffolding
its harmful consequences. This is the reason, why the rate of
workplace accidents in developed countries are controlled. On the
other hand, in developing countries, the rate of workplace accidents is
increasing ra- pidly which results in the losses of a large number of
humans and other resources. Few of its main reasons are the
unavailability of resources and the lack of interest of government and
construction companies. It is concluded from this study that the CI and
government organizations are not fulfilling their responsibilities
regarding the safety at workplace which results in the loss of
human lives, property, equipment, and harmful to environment,
society and the economy of a country. The top management of the
construction companies should assign proper budget for activities,
trainings and equipment that would help in re- ducing the accident
rates at construction sites. Moreover, these com- panies should
make proper rules and adapt different innovative tech- niques
regarding workplace safety. Furthermore, the government of
Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118
Corrective Actions
– Trainings should be given to the company’s employees
– Strict safety rules and regulations should be implemented
– Budget allocation for PPE
– PPE should be properly used
– Cables or wires should be checked before use
– Electrical appliances should be kept away from the water
– Trainings should be given to the company’s employees
– Strict safety rules and regulations should be implemented
– Budget allocation for PPE
– Canopies or nets must be used
– Secured guardrails
– Secured lifts
– Use of PPE
– Canopies or nets must be used
– Secured guardrails
– Secured lifts
– Use of PPE
– PPE especially safety shoes, should be used
– The floor should be regularly clean up
– The floor should be checked before starting the work
– Proper use of PPE
– Area should be checked before starting work
– Use of rubber caps on the iron/steel heads
– Use of warning signs
– Use of PPE
– Use of PPE
– Good quality of cylinder should be used
– The pressure of gas in a cylinder should not exceed the standards
– The fire extinguishers should be placed in the work areas
– Guards such as interlock guards should be used
– PPE should be properly used
– Employees should be trained and make aware of the importance of guards
– Wires should be checked properly before use
– PPE should be properly used
– Cutters or pointed items should be removed from the place where wires are used
– Employees should be trained properly
– Safety rules should be implemented
– Warning signs should be used
– PPE should be used properly
– Proper channels of communication should be developed
– Safety rules and regulations should be implemented properly
– PPE should be properly used
– Employees should be properly trained
– The materials handling should be automated
– The attachment points should be checked before use
– Construction rules should be properly implemented
– A trained supervisor should be given a responsibility to take care of the scaffolding works
Pakistan should also modify the safety rules and compel the construc-
tion companies in order to implement these rules regularly and prop-
erly.
Despite the novelty, this research paper has some limitations. The
number of data samples are less because of the limited access to the
professionals and experts. It is difficult to get access to the experts
especially, the health and safety managers. In construction industry of
Pakistan, most of the companies do not possess the health and safety
departments. Some of the most prominent construction companies
possess the OHS departments but they do not give access to the out-
siders. Furthermore, other MCDM methodologies can be used for OHS
in construction industry by considering some other factors that affect
the health and safety, for example, if the impact of the factors on the
human health, environment and economy are desired to be
determined, then the MCDM methodologies like Decision-
Making Trial and
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M.W. Khan, et al. Safety Science 118 (2019) 109–118

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