An overview of construction occupational accidents in Hong Kong: A recent trend and future perspectives

Abstract

The construction industry is infamous for a high number of fatalities around the world. The Hong Kong construction industry is also one of the most hazardous industries for worker's safety compared to all other industries. This paper presents a current trend of occupational injuries among Hong Kong construction workers. Yearly reports of the labour department of Hong Kong were evaluated in this study. A statistical analysis of incidence rates (IRs) and mortality rates (MRs) was performed to evaluate each accident type. Moreover, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to find out the relationship between IRs and MRs of individual accident type. From the analysis, "Slip, trip or fall on the same level" caused the higher number of occupational injuries while "fall of the person from height" caused the higher number of occupational fatalities from 2011 to 2017. Finally, the future perspectives of effective safety management system incorporated with advance technologies in the construction industry are highlighted in this study.