Ehsan Gharaie

A case study analysis of fatal incidents involving excavators in the Australian construction industry

Purpose – The paper analyses the nature and causes of fatal incidents involving excavators occurring in the Australian construction industry. A three-level incident causation model developed by researchers at Loughborough University forms the theoretical framework for this analysis, which seeks to identify immediate circumstances, shaping factors and originating influences in selected incidents. Design/methodology/approach – Case study incidents were identified from the National Coronial Information System database. These incidents were subjected to content analysis to identify causal factors. Findings – Ten cases were analysed in total. In all of these cases immediate circumstances could be identified. These included the use of unsafe work methods and the condition, suitability or useability of plant. In several cases shaping factors, such as communication between work-team members and the design of work processes, were identified as likely contributors to the incidents. In none of the cases could origin...

Examining the drivers and states of organizational change for greater use of prefabrication in construction projects

AbstractMany studies have focused on the technologies and reasoning behind off-site construction and failed to address the implications to organizational change. This papaer aims to investigate the...

The how and why of plant-related fatalities in the Australian construction industry

Purpose – Drawing on the findings of coronial investigations, this research aimed to investigate the circumstances and causes of fatal incidents involving plant in the Australian construction industry. The analysis sought to provide greater insight into how and why fatal incidents occur and to inform recommendations for the prevention of fatal incidents involving plant.Design/methodology/approach – Fatal incidents involving plant were identified from the National Coronial Information System. In each case, the decedent was a construction worker and the incident occurred at a construction worksite. A systemic incident causation model developed by Loughborough University informed the identification of originating influences, shaping factors and immediate circumstances in each incident.Findings – Most of the incidents involved excavators, trucks and cranes, and different classifications of plant were associated with different types of incident. The most common incident types involved people being run over by ...