Evaluation of Occupational Accidents in the Construction Industry with Fault Tree Analysis

Abstract

The majority of the numbers of occupational accidents occurred due to the construction industry both in Turkey and all over the world. Determining the causes of occupational accidents resulting in death, injury, permanent incapacity, or occupational diseases is necessary at present; thus, precautions against occupational accidents can be determined and applied. Fault tree analysis was applied by using the death and injury rates of occupational accidents at different times in the construction industry in Turkey in this study. The undesired top event of the fault tree was defined as an occupational accident. The fault tree structure consists of minimum cut sets relating to occupational accidents and their causes. In fault tree analysis, where calculations were performed with a deductive approach, Boolean algebra calculated the unavailability values of the minimum cut sets and the undesired top event. Both the possibilities of occupational accidents and the critical importance factors of the occupational accidents defined as errors are revealed. It has been concluded that relatively the probability values of the minimal cut sets can be taken into account, and the critical importance factors can be used as a ranking criterion in the order of measures to be taken against occupational accidents. The study displays that fault tree analysis can be used effectively to analyze occupational accidents in Turkey. In addition, with the fault tree structure created in this study, a visual model was presented for the competent authorities to take the necessary precautions.