Investigating the electrical and mechanical safety in construction

Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) installations are indispensable to any construction projects. In the light of number of workers and companies involved, E&M works play an important role in the construction industry. The objectives of this study are to reveal causes of accidents of E&M works and provide recommendations to improve safety and health of E&M practitioners. A systematic approach with multidisciplinary inputs will lead to the formulation of a series of holistic and practical measures. An investigation in “WiseNews”, a comprehensive newspaper search engine, shows that there were at least 60 E&M works related fatal cases between 1998 and 2014 in Hong Kong. Fatalities due to fall of person from height and contact with electricity account for over 70 % of all occupational fatalities in electrical and mechanical installations. The study also found that the proportion of occupational fatalities due to fall of person from height is occurred more frequently in air-conditioning installation trade. Focus group meetings with frontline workers and experts will identify the root causes of the E&M accidents. Structured interviews will solicit views of different stakeholders to formulate safety preventive measures. NVivo, which is a software package that supports qualitative and mixed methods research will be used to analyse the qualitative data obtained from the inter views. A questionnaire survey will validate and prioritize the causes of accidents and strategies for improving E&M safety. The proposed study will be useful in improving the safety performance of E&M practitioners in Hong Kong.