Investigating the causes of accidents at construction sites: a case study of Mbudzi interchange site under Fossil contracting
- Author
- Mutanda, Kudzanai R.
- Title
- Investigating the causes of accidents at construction sites: a case study of Mbudzi interchange site under Fossil contracting
- Abstract
-
The construction industry is a dynamic and complex sector, which often results in a high frequency of recorded accidents. The study aimed to investigate the types and causes of accidents at Mbudzi Interchange construction site in Zimbabwe, and to come up with a sustainable framework for managing accidents. A descriptive cross-sectional study was used for this research with self-administered questionnaires and interviews combining both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Questionnaires focused on collecting data on demographic information of study participants, most common types of accidents and their causes and components that must be included in a sustainable framework for managing accidents at the site. At the same time, interviews with department supervisors were utilised in addition to questionnaires to generate and produce data in more depth on the major types and causes of accidents occurring at Mbudzi Interchange as well as their take on the issue of sustainable construction. This approach aimed to gather unbiased and accurate information on the most common types of accidents and their causes within the organization and issue of sustainable construction on the workers perception. The SPSS version 23 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) program was used to process and analyse the questionnaire data to produce descriptive statistics like percentages of the most common types of occupational accidents that occur at Mbudzi Interchange. Thematic analysis was used to analyse in-depth interview data. The research revealed that machinery and vehicle-related accidents were the most prominent types of accidents at the site machinery accidents first followed by vehicle related accidents .Slips, trips and falls and environmental related accidents were less common at the site. The research categorized the causes of accidents in the construction industry into four major groups’ unsafe conditions, organizational factors, unsafe acts, and external factors. For each group, specific primary causes were identified. For instance, production pressure was noted under organizational factors; failure to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) fell under unsafe acts; public interference was associated with external factors; and poor housekeeping was classified as an unsafe condition. Based on the results found on the types and causes of accidents found a sustainable management framework was developed to address the accidents, offering a practical solutions for enhancing safety to different construction sites. - Date
- June 2025
- Publisher
- BUSE
- Keywords
- Accidents
- Mbudzi Interchange
- Construction sites
- Supervisor
- D r. Mabhungu
- Media
-
Mutanda - ES.pdf