Using a safety management system to reduce
errors and violations
Lesiba George Mollo MTech
Lecturer, Department of Built Environment, Central University of
Technology, Free State, South Africa (Orcid:0000-0001-5014-3294)
(corresponding author: lmollo@cut.ac.za)
Fidelis Emuze PhD
Professor and Head, Department of Built Environment, Central University of
Technology, Free State, South Africa (Orcid:0000-0001-7714-4457)
John Smallwood PhD
Professor, Department of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela
University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
This study discusses if and how a safety management system (SMS) mitigates or reduces errors and violations
on construction sites. The study investigated SMS systems on three major projects in South Africa. The results
affirmed that SMS helps to control hazards and risks, but the desired outcome could only be achieved if it
is designed and implemented appropriately. The results suggested that on the construction sites visited, inadequate
implementation ultimately resulted in errors and violations becoming the norm. The apparently poor
implementation observed during the study was cause for concern. It should be addressed, jointly, by both workers
and management.
1. Introduction
The construction industry has poor occupational health and
safety (OHS) records. Working in the construction industry is
considered to be high risk as it involves dangerous and
challenging activities (Yiu et al., 2019). The construction
industry around the world is infamous for its high number of
fatalities (Shafique and Rafiq, 2019). For instance, Safe Work
Australia Industry Statistics issued a report in 2014 stating that
the Australian Construction Industry recorded 402 fatalities
and 140, 448 serious injury claims for the period between 2003
and 2013 (Zou et al., 2017). In Great Britain, the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) reported that 147 workers were killed
in the workplace in 2018/2019 (HSE, 2019a). In South Africa,
the Department of Labour (DoL) reported that the construc-
tion industry recorded an average of 1.5−2.5 fatalities per
week in 2016 (DoL, 2017).
The high accident and fatality rates in construction can be
attributed to hazardous conditions and rapidly altering
practices (Fan et al., 2014). Perlman et al. (2014) showed that
the root causes of accidents in the industry are connected
directly to errors and violations. Errors might include: a
deviation from some path, either from an intended course of
action or planned effort towards the desired goal, and
inappropriate behaviour at work (Reason, 2016). Violations are
a type of mistake, which happens when individuals fail to
follow instructions or decide to make their own rules when
undertaking an activity (HSE, 2019b). The difference between
errors and violations is that violations are deliberate acts that
often happen due to conscious decisions made by individuals
in the workplace, whereas errors are not deliberate (HSE,
2019b).
To solve reported problems relating to errors and violations,
contractors often adopt an SMS to achieve performance
excellence (Wachter and Yorio, 2014). An SMS was introduced
in the 1980s to mitigate workplace hazards, reduce injuries
and minimise loss of material in the workplace (Yiu et al.,
2019). The concept of an SMS requires the causes of
accidents to be reported and analysed, and steps to be taken
to prevent future events. The process of implementing an
SMS should be well planned so that it enables site manage-
ment teams and workers not only to identify and recognise
risks and hazards easily, but also to communicate with
each other during the construction process (Park and Kim,
2013).
The purpose of this study was to determine how an SMS
would mitigate or reduce errors and violations effectively
on project sites. The adoption of an SMS in construction
would help safety management teams to learn how to control
risks and hazards that might lead to errors and violations
if not addressed. In this study, the concept of an SMS
was applied in several building projects in Bloemfontein,
South Africa. Therefore, this study provides an in-depth
knowledge of an SMS, and understanding of implementing
an SMS to reduce errors and violations in the construction
industry.
The following sections of this paper provide an overview of
SMS implementation in the construction industry. Thereafter,
the research methods are explained, outlining the collection
and analysis of data. The research findings are presented
and discussed and, lastly, the research conclusion and
recommendations for future studies are presented.
1
Cite this article
Mollo LG, Emuze F and Smallwood J
Using a safety management system to reduce errors and violations.
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Municipal Engineer,
https://doi.org/10.1680/jmuen.20.00017
Municipal Engineer
Research Article
Paper 2000017
Received 02/04/2020;
Accepted 30/09/2020
Published with permission by the ICE under the CC-BY 4.0 license.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Keywords: health & safety/
management/project management
2. An overview of the safety
management system
An SMS is described as a system that is designed to enable the
management of safety to prevent accidents in the industries
(Yiu et al., 2018). An SMS is described as a formalised
method to control safety management through the use of a
framework that facilitates the identification, control and
minimisation of safety risks (McKinnon, 2019). According to
Yiu et al. (2019), an SMS was introduced to the construction
industry in the 1980s by the European Union (EU) to reduce
hazardous environments and mitigate the risk of injury on
construction sites. The implementation of an SMS has become
popular in the construction industry and the initial elements
have been developed into an important factor which is
regulated by most countries in the world (Álvarez-Santos
et al., 2018). For instance, in the United Kingdom, the
Accident Prevention Advisory Unit of HSE approved the OHS
Acts to empower the introduction of SMSs in 1989 (Yiu et al.,
2018). In Hong Kong, an SMS was legally imposed in 1991 to
mitigate workplace accidents, injuries and promoting a safe
working environment (Shafique and Rafiq, 2019).
Table 1 shows the elements of an SMS and their applications.
An SMS has eight essential elements: hazard identification,
safety inspection, OHS training on sites, safe work procedures,
risk assessment plan, safety reporting system, toolbox talk and
OHS policy. McKinnon (2019) pointed out that the elements
of an SMS have a common outcome, which is to facilitate easy
recognition and administration in the workplace.
Ismail et al. (2012) showed that the design and implementation
of SMS in the construction industry in several countries is
based on the standard practice for that country. For instance,
in the United Kingdom, the HSE has launched a series of
national and international standards, such as BS OHSAS
18001: 2007 occupational health and safety (OHS) manage-
ment systems and BS EN ISO 9001: 2008 quality management
system, to encourage the adoption of SMS (Yiu et al., 2018).
Hamid et al. (2008) showed that the integration of safety and
management in the industry is based on OHSAS 18001: 2007
and ISO 9001: 2008, to reduce accidents and fatalities.
The objectives of developing and implementing an SMS are to
eliminate workplace hazards and to reduce accidents (Accou
and Reniers, 2019). However, the construction industry is still
experiencing a high rate of accidents and fatalities (Fan et al.,
2014) despite the adoption of SMSs to eliminate workplace
hazards. Wachter and Yorio (2014) explained that the reason
for this is that the industry cannot anticipate and control all
possible work situations and tends to be slow to adapt to
changing situations or uncertainties due to its rigid, controlled
and complicated structure. The effects of inadequate
implementation of an SMS are linked to errors and violations,
which contribute to accidents in the construction industry.
Work in construction is executed by people (artisans, general
workers etc.) who are prone to errors while completing their
tasks, which is related to effective implementation of an SMS
(Wachter and Yorio, 2014).
3. Research method
To achieve the purpose of this research study, a mixed-method
research design was used, as recommended by Plano Clark
and Ivankova (2016). According to Plano Clark and Ivankova
(2016), mixed-method research is described as a process which
integrates quantitative and qualitative methods of data collec-
tion and analysis to achieve the purpose of research. For this
Table 1. Elements of SMS
Number SMS elements Descriptions Source
1 Hazard identification A process to identify a situation or behaviour that has the potential to cause
injury or illness to people, damage to equipment or harm to the
environment.
McKinnon (2019)
2 Safety inspection A process that is carried out to identify hazardous conditions and for the
modification of any such conditions at regular intervals or as appropriate.
Yiu et al. (2018)
3 OHS training on sites A process of instructing or teaching personnel to work safely without causing
any hazards that might lead to accidents.
Yiu et al. (2018)
4 Safe work procedures A systematic series of specific steps that guide personnel to work safely
through a task from start to finish.
Alli (2008)
5 Risk assessment plan A systematic process of evaluating the potential risks associated with the
hazards that might cause harm to people in the workplace.
McKinnon (2019)
6 Safety reporting system A systematic process of filling of reports and collection of information on safety
deficiencies in the workplace.
McKinnon (2019)
7 Toolbox talk An informal group meeting or discussion that focuses on a particular safety
problem.
Alli (2008)
8 OHS policy An organisational, documented statement of commitment to protecting the
health and safety of employees, as well as the surrounding community.
Yiu et al. (2018);
McKinnon (2019)
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study, qualitative data were collected from case studies, as
recommended by Hancock and Algozzine (2011). A multiple
case study research approach, as illustrated by Hancock and
Algozzine (2011), was used for this study in Bloemfontein,
South Africa. Three construction site projects in Bloemfontein
were selected because all three projects were building projects
and the nature of the building works exposed construction
professionals and workers to different hazards that might cause
errors and violations. Thus, purposive sampling was used to
select multiple case-study projects (Hancock and Algozzine,
2011). For each case-study project, the researcher obtained
permission from the construction manager to collect the study
data on their project site and to interview participants who
were members of the construction teams, including construc-
tion managers, site engineers, foremen/supervisors, artisans
and general workers (Table 2).
The qualitative data for the study were collected from
multiple case-study projects using open-ended questions, semi-
structured interviews and focus group interviews as suggested
by Flick (2014). The researcher interviewed only the members
of the construction teams who worked on the selected project
sites as shown in Table 2. In all the interviews, the background
of the study was explained to each participant and they were
allowed to respond to the questions while expressing their
opinion and knowledge of work relating to the research topic.
Data were collected also from focus group interviews with
groups made up of the artisans and general workers. The use
of focus group interviews on each site enabled each participant
(artisan or general worker) to discuss issues relating to SMS as
a group, rather than simply as individuals, as explained by
Bryman (2012). At the start of each focus group interview, the
background of the study was explained to the participants.
During the focus group interviews, participants were asked to
have open discussions and to give each participant a chance to
express their opinion without interference. In case-study
project 1, the focus group interviews involved a group of arti-
sans (four bricklayers) and a group of general workers who
were divided into two groups: one group of five general
workers and one of four general workers. In case-study project
3, the focus group interview involved a group of artisans (seven
bricklayers). All the interviews took place at the construction
sites during the lunch period.
All the semi-structured and focus group interviews were
carried out face-to-face by the researcher on the case-project
sites in Bloemfontein, between July 2018 and April 2019, and
lasted between 30 and 60 min. The interviews were recorded
and later transcribed. Thereafter, the qualitative data were
analysed using thematic analysis, as illustrated by Bryman
(2012), where themes were identified by which to interpret and
summarise the qualitative data collected. During the analysis
Table 2. Research sample
Multiple case-study projects
Members of the construction teams
(interviewees)
Number of
responses
Response
rate: %
Case-study project 1:
The new TFS distribution warehouse structure project 1
 construction manager 18.00 46.00
1
 safety manager
1
 site engineer
1
 senior foreman
1
 junior foreman
4
 a group of artisans
9
 a group of general workers
Case-study project 2:
The new University of Free State (UFS) South Campus
Student Housing Unit 05
1
 safety manager 9.00 23.00
1
 construction manager
1
 senior site engineer
1
 senior site quantity surveyor
1
 senior foreman
1
 junior site engineer
1
 junior foreman
2
 student supervisor
Case-study project 3:
The new University of Free State (UFS) South Campus
Student Housing Unit 06
1
 construction manager 12.00 31.00
1
 safety manager
1
 site engineer
1
 senior foreman
1
 junior foreman
7
 a group of artisans
Total interviewees 39.00 100.00
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of the qualitative data, responses which failed to address the
issues relating to SMS on construction sites were deleted.
Thereafter, quantitative data were collected using a survey
questionnaire (Plano Clark and Ivankova, 2016). The purpose
of the survey was to enhance the insights from the qualitative
data. The design of the questionnaire was based on an
in-depth analysis of the relevant literature review as
summarised in Table 1. Eight SMS elements were identified
that contribute to errors and violations which can cause harm
if not prevented.
The survey questionnaire was designed using QuestionPro
Software on an online survey platform. The survey link to the
questionnaire was sent to the South African Council for
Project and Construction Management Professionals
(SACPCMP) to distribute the survey link to its members on its
database. Members who were registered either as professional
or candidate’s construction managers, construction health
and safety managers, construction health and safety officers
and construction health and safety agents were targeted to
participate in the survey. Thus, purposive sampling was used
to select the participants, as explained by Plano Clark and
Ivankova (2016). The demographic profile of the participants
is shown in Table 3.
The survey of professionals was conducted between 15 July
2019 and 15 October 2019. Thus, the survey adopted cross-
sectional studies as explained by Plano Clark and Ivankova
(2016). In total, 162 responses were submitted on the survey
platform as shown in Table 4. Of these, only 158 were valid
and three responses were excluded, as indicated in the case
processing summary in Table 4.
The survey questionnaire was designed using a Likert scale of
0–5, as recommended by Plano Clark and Ivankova (2016),
where 0=unsure, 1 =minor, 2 = above minor, 3 = neutral,
4 = near major and 5=major. The quantitative data collected
were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS). The analysis of the quantitative data, showing mean
scores (MS) and standard deviations (SD) is presented
in Table 5. The reliability of the analysed data was tested
statistically, using Cronbach’s alpha (Plano Clark and
Ivankova, 2016).
4. Research results
The summary of the research results in this section is presented
in two sub-sections. Section 4.1 contains the qualitative data
while Section 4.2 contains the quantitative data.
4.1 SMS and its effects on errors and violations
on project sites
In response to the importance of having an appropriate SMS
on construction sites, several participants stated that their
employers had hired a safety manager who was responsible for
designing an SMS to be deployed on their project sites to
identify and eliminate risks and hazards that have the potential
to cause accidents. A safety manager interviewed in case-study
project 1 explained that his employer had created a safety
management division, which was responsible for designing an
effective SMS at the start of the project. The participant
elaborated further that some of the SMS elements which they
had adopted to eliminate hazards included a risk assessment
tool, safe work procedures, safety training and safety
observation inspections. He explained further that his safety
measures had helped his organisation to record not a single
accident on their construction sites. The participant is quoted
as follows:
One of the reasons why we have not recorded a single accident
is because safety practice is the responsibility of everyone
working on sites. We don’t just rely on our adopted safety
system, but we rely mostly on our worker’s co-operation
towards safety practice.
Table 3. Demographic profile of the participants
Participants of organisations Number (N ) Percentage
Construction firms/contractors 78 48.00
Clients (public/private sectors) 27 17.00
Civil engineering consultants 8 5.00
Health and safety consultants 40 25.00
Architect consultants 5 3.00
Quantity surveying consultants 4 2.00
Total participants 162 100.0
Table 4. Case processing summary
Number (N ) Percentage
Cases Valid 158 97.5
Excludeda 4 2.5
Total 162 100.0
aListwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure
Table 5. SMS elements to prevent errors and violations on project
sites
Elements of SMS Mean Standard deviation Rate
Hazard identification 3.80 1.434 1
Safety inspection 3.61 1.453 2
OHS training on sites 3.54 1.483 3
Safe work procedures 3.44 1.448 4
Risk assessment plan 3.42 1.486 5
Safety reporting system 3.41 1.493 6
Toolbox talk 3.01 1.548 7
OHS policy 2.81 1.498 8
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This statement by a safety manager in case-study project 1,
relating to the use of a risk assessment plan was corroborated
by a construction manager in case-study project 2. For
instance, the participant explained that their employers had
appointed a safety management team to design an effective
SMS to promote a safe working environment by identifying
and eliminating hazards that might cause accidents if not
prevented.
However, it was found that the general workers interviewed
had different responses compared with the previous responses
by the safety managers and construction manager. The group
of general workers in case-study project 1 are quoted as
follows:
The adoption of an SMS is very critical on our project site as
the system protect us from some of our supervisors who often
put our lives in danger. This is because often our supervisors
tend to abuse their powers by instructing us to work in unsafe
working conditions due to their desire to reach high-level
productivity.
It was reported further by a group of artisans in case-study
project 3 that an SMS helps them to understand the OHS
policy and how to work safely, how to use tools and equipment
safely, and the importance of wearing personal protective
equipment (PPE) all the time.
Our safety manager makes use of the SMS to teaches us to
understand the importance of using the appropriate equipment
for the designed tasks and to protect our body from getting
hurt by always wearing PPE at all the times.
In contrast to the above statement by a group of artisans in
case-study project 3, it was found that learning how to work
safely and using tools and equipment safely in case-study
project 2 was practically impossible. It was reported by several
participants that they had witnessed an accident which was
caused by a concrete mixing machine. One of the workers was
working with a concrete operator. He was standing next to a
concrete drum and while pouring the concrete, he lost his
footing and his hand was caught inside the concrete drum
which ripped off his finger.
In response to procedures which must be followed when
designing an effective SMS, most of the participants from the
case-study projects explained that an SMS must be designed
according to the Construction Regulations of 2014, which were
issued by the DoL in South Africa. Thus, it is known that,
with regard to OHS, the construction industry in South Africa
is regulated by the DoL. The Construction Regulations of
2014 help role-players in the construction industry to design an
effective SMS according to the Occupational Health and
Safety Act 85 (1993). Some of the participants’ responses are
quoted as follows:
We are responsible to protect everyone working on our
construction sites and we have adopted the Construction
Regulations of 2014 to help our safety team to design an
effective SMS which is responsible to reduce risks and
eliminate hazards which have the potential to cause accidents.
(Safety manager and construction manager in case-study
project 3.)
It is important for our safety manager to study and understand
the safety guidelines or standards which are provided by our
clients at the start of the project. Thereafter, our safety
management team would adopt the Construction Regulations
of 2014 and use it to design our SMS. (Safety manager in
case-study project 1.)
The construction manager interviewed in case-study project 1
and senior site engineer in case-study project 2 stated that,
after the safety management team had designed the SMS, the
system would be sent to the clients for evaluation and, if the
clients did not approve the system, they would not permit
them to start with the construction work. It was reported
further by a senior and junior foreman in case-study project 3
that their SMS stipulated that all safety warning signage must
be designed and printed according to the safety standard
issued in the Construction Regulations of 2014. The safety
warning signage must be designed using the latest safety
standard when printing new labels, and the writing must be
legible and written in a common language which would be
understood by everyone on site. The participants further
explained that, on their project site, all of their safety warning
signs were written in English, but their safety manager
translated all the safety warning messages for the workers,
using Sesotho (a South African local language) so that all the
workers who could not read English would understand fully
the safety message conveyed by the safety warning signage.
Figure 1 shows an example of a safety warning sign installed
at the main entrance of the project site.
In response to the impacts of errors and violations on
construction sites, it was reported by several participants from
the case-study projects that the use of a risk assessment plan
helped them to identify hazards and the process of analysing
hazards helped them to eliminate errors and violations. For
instance, it was reported by a safety manager in case-study
project 1 and the construction manager, site engineer and site
foreman in case-study project 3 that the causes of errors and
violations in construction were rooted in the behavioural
acts of people working on site. Also, the decision making by
organisations to achieve a high productivity level often resulted
in errors and violations. Thus, it was reported by a junior site
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engineer in case-study project 2 that the desire to reach a high
level of productivity often compels site management to create
an unsafe working environment, which results in poor house-
keeping. Figure 2 shows an example of poor housekeeping
observed in case-study project 3.
It was also reported by a senior foreman in case-study project
1 and a site engineer in case-study project 2 that poor house-
keeping is a serious man-made cause, which leads to accidents
due to hazards that are not prevented or controlled. A student
supervisor in case-study project 2 reported further that every-
one on their construction site knew the importance of working
in safe conditions but people tend to forget the safety policy of
their organisation, especially bricklayers who tend to throw the
broken bricks all over their work stations.
This is one of the factors causing poor housekeeping on our
project sites and our management tend to ignore this behav-
iour due to the high level of performance produced by the
bricklayer.
In response to how an SMS would be used to identify hazards
and risks on construction sites, it was reported by most of the
participants in the case-study projects that their safety
managers were using a safe work procedure and a risk assess-
ment tool to identify the risks that might cause hazards and
how to prevent such risks or hazards from causing accidents.
However, despite the use of a risk assessment plan and safe
work procedure it was reported by several participants that, in
case-study project 2, a worker was injured by a ready-mix
concrete drum. Also, a safety manager and construction
manager in case-study project 3 explained that one of their
workers fell from a roof while cutting an overhang of a rafter.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the worker did
not install the safety harness while he was on top of the roof
rafter.
Therefore, it can be suggested that, in case-study project 3,
even though the safety management team identified fall as a
hazard, and the worker was given a safety harness, they failed
to monitor compliance with the specified measure to avoid the
hazard which was for the worker to attach the safety harness
to the rafter while cutting an overhang. It was reported by a
construction manager in case-study project 2 that the most
difficult activities on construction sites were to ensure that
everyone complied with the safety regulations. He explained
further that it was critical for the safety management team to
promote regular safety training for workers to understand the
adopted safety regulations.
It was reported also by a safety manager in case-study
project 2 that they were responsible to organise safety training
for all the workers on their project site. He explained further
that one of the biggest challenges experienced in the construc-
tion industry was that most people tended to regard a toolbox
talk as safety training. Hence, a senior site quantity surveyor
in case-study project 2 stated that safety training must be con-
ducted at the different stages of the project and that training
for the general workers must not be combined with training for
the management team. A safety observation inspection was
also recommended as an alternative method to ensure compli-
ance with safety measures on-site. It was reported further by
Figure 1. Safety warning signage
Figure 2. Poor housekeeping
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some of the participants in the case-study projects that safety
training, which is an element of SMS, was used to benchmark
the safety practice on the construction sites and that their
organisations must provide training facilities which could be
used to improve how their safety managers carry out the safety
training procedures on their project sites.
4.2 The relation between inadequate SMS
implementation and errors and violations
Table 5 shows the extent to which a lack of the eight SMS
elements contributes to errors and violations on project sites.
The Likert scale of 0–5 was adopted to analyse the collected
statistical data, using SPSS. The survey results provided
evidence that failure to address the elements of SMS could
lead to errors and violations on project sites. Notably, seven of
the eight identified SMS elements were rated above the
midpoint of 3.00, which suggests that these elements are
significant. This statistical data validated the qualitative data
collected from the case-study projects because it reinforced that
SMS is used to identify hazards on project sites, and hazard
identification was rated as the first SMS element that must be
addressed on project sites.
Table 6 shows the reliability test of the eight elements of SMS.
Based on the reliability test results, using SPSS, it was notable
that the Cronbach’s alpha was recorded at 0.993 and the
Cronbach’s alpha on Standardised Items was recorded at
0.993. Based on the fact that, in social science research, a
reliability coefficient of 0.70 or higher is considered to be
acceptable, it could be concluded that the statistical data
presented in Table 5 was reliable.
5. Discussion
Evidence across the cases in this study indicated that effective
SMS helps to control hazards and risks on project sites. Yiu
et al. (2018) pointed out that SMS signifies a designed system
that enables management to prevent OHS incidents and
accidents. SMSs are used to control operational risks to
prevent accidents (Accou and Reniers, 2019). These functions
of SMSs is corroborated by the interviewees in the case
projects who reported that their employers hire safety
managers to design and manage an effective SMS. The
designed SMS helps to identify and eliminate hazards and
risks that had the potential to cause accidents. The reported
decision of employers (construction directors/owners) to hire
safety managers to design and manage an SMS is supported
by Perlman et al. (2014). The authors explained that the
implementation of an SMS must be managed by a competent
site manager who would develop a model to identify hazards
and risks to reduce accidents.
Table 5 shows that hazard identification was rated as the most
important SMS element in preventing errors and violations on
project sites. However, case project 3 shows that hazard identi-
fication is not addressed by site management on project sites.
For instance, Figure 2 shows the observed poor housekeeping
that exposes hazards in the form of wasted materials.
Inadequate hazard identification could result in errors and
violations on construction sites. The effect of inadequate
hazard identification is evident in the work of Reese and
Eidson (2006) who contend hazards experienced in construc-
tion are caused by equipment used on worksites, a view that
was corroborated by the interviewees. For example, an intervie-
wee in case study project 2 reported an accident in which a
general worker lost his finger while working with a ready-mix
concrete drum. Based on the responses presented in Table 5, it
could be argued that had the site management in case-study
project 2 implemented a risk assessment plan, conducted OHS
training on-site and effective safety inspection, this accident
could have been prevented.
The OHS functions of site management start with the preven-
tion of incidents and accidents, which are rooted in errors and
violations (Perlman et al., 2014). In essence, there appears to
be a good practice among the case projects where employers
hire safety managers to design an SMS to prevent accidents.
The SMSs are designed according to the Construction
Regulations 2014. However, despite designing SMS according
to the Construction Regulations 2014, site management from
the case study projects continued to experience accidents. The
occurrence of accidents despite the deployment of SMSs is a
concern that should be addressed.
6. Conclusions
The purpose of implementing an SMS in construction is to
mitigate the risk of injuries, reduce workplace hazards and
minimise property damage. In this study, it was found that
SMSs are designed by the safety management team to
promote a safe working environment by identifying and elimi-
nating hazards that might cause accidents on the worksite.
However, deploying SMSs based on the Construction
Regulations of 2014 was not enough to prevent accidents in
South African construction. In particular, contractors in the
case projects in South Africa were still struggling to mitigate
risks and reduce hazards that have resulted in accidents. For
instance, in case-study projects 2 and 3, both contractors
experienced accidents, which resulted in injuries. The causes of
such injuries could be connected to errors and violations
Table 6. Results of statistical reliability test of elements of SMS
Cronbach’s
alpha
Cronbach’s alpha based on
standardised items
Number of
items
0.993 0.993 8
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involving injured workers. Such injuries could have been pre-
vented if an appropriate risk assessment plan, hazard identifi-
cation, OHS training, safe work procedures and safety
inspections had been conducted by site management.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the recommendations of
the professionals who participated in the survey, regarding the
rating of the SMS elements, were correct. The causes of the
injuries reported in this study were linked to inadequate SMS
implementation, which was deployed on project sites. The
concern can be addressed by workers and management
working together to improve the SMS in the worksites.
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8
Municipal Engineer Using a safety management system to
reduce errors and violations
Mollo, Emuze and Smallwood
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