Characteristics and Causes of Construction Accidents in a Large-Scale Development Project

Albert P. C. Chan, Yang Yang, Tracy N. Y. Choi and Janet Mayowa Nwaogu
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Albert P. C. Chan: Shenzhen Research Institute, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518057, China
Yang Yang: Shenzhen Research Institute, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518057, China
Tracy N. Y. Choi: Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China
Janet Mayowa Nwaogu: Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-25

Abstract: The airport at the Kai Tak district was relocated to Chek Lap Kok in 1998. The Hong Kong Government endeavors to redevelop Kai Tak into a mixed-use community. A total of eight fatal construction accidents have happened since the Kai Tak Development (KTD) commenced in 2013, and seven of them occurred between 2020 and 2021. The alarming figures call for an in-depth investigation of fatal accidents, hence the aim of the current research. Detailed accident investigation reports that outlined accident causation and preventive measures for the eight accidents were collected. With a detailed examination of validity and reliability, the modified loss causation model was applied to analyze the situational variables, incident sequences, and causes of accidents. The results showed that “fall” and “struck by” were the most common accidents in the KTD. Several risk factors for fatal accidents were identified, including “aging workers”, “new to a construction site”, “ethnic minority”, “illegal worker”, “working on weekends”, and “subcontracting companies”. Preventive measures were offered to help government authorities and construction practitioners enhance the safety performance of the ongoing KTD projects. This study contributes to the knowledge of construction safety by identifying safety issues of mega interfacing projects. The practice of learning from accidents should be promoted in order to prevent similar accidents from occurring again.

Keywords: Kai Tak development; mega interfacing projects; modified loss causation model; accident analysis and prevention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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