Using association rules to investigate causality patterns of safety-related incidents in the construction industry

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate causality patterns of safety-related incidents in the construction industry. Although there are many studies on finding causeand- effect relationships in the accident database, retrieving useful knowledge from the last database and taking additional variables into account are needed. Therefore, the present study utilized the association rule method to investigate a significant scope of historical accident data in Iran's construction industry in the years 2014-2017. Based on results of association rules, the combination of worker's individual and behavioral factors and supervisory conditions are related to serious accidents. These results can provide practical insights for construction managers who need to be more concerned about the negative impact of the combination of some factors on serious construction accidents.