Comparative Analysis of the National Fatality Rate in Construction Industry Using Time-Series Approach and Equivalent...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Safety and Health
• International Comparative Studies
• Construction Industry Risk Assessment

Background:

• Fatality rates per full-time equivalent workers are standard metrics for comparing construction industry risk globally.
• Current international comparisons are flawed due to varying national data evaluation conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare construction industry fatality rates across countries using both conventional national data and a pair-wise method with equivalent conditions.
• To highlight the impact of standardized conditions on international risk level assessments.

Main Methods:

• A time-series approach was employed for the comparative analysis.
• Construction industry fatality rates were evaluated using national data from South Korea, Japan, Mexico, China, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.
• A second evaluation was conducted using pair-wise comparisons under equivalent conditions for the same countries.

Main Results:

• National data revealed risk levels in descending order: South Korea (1.54), Japan (0.84), Mexico (0.83), China (0.70), United Kingdom (0.15), and Singapore (0.13).
• Under equivalent conditions, the risk levels re-ordered as: China (2.27), South Korea (2.05), Mexico (1.23), Singapore (0.98), Japan (0.80), and United Kingdom (0.47).
• Significant shifts in country risk rankings were observed when applying equivalent conditions.

Conclusions:

• The comparison of construction industry fatality rates is highly sensitive to the conditions under which data is evaluated.
• Standardized, equivalent conditions are crucial for accurate international comparisons of occupational risk.
• Relying solely on national data can lead to misleading conclusions about relative industry safety levels.