Safety performance & evaluation framework in Indian construction industry

Introduction: This paper proposes a framework to evaluate the safety performance of workers in Indian construction industry. The key indicators to measure the safety and health conditions are identified and prioritized on the basis of the importance in the establishment of safe and healthy work environment. Design/methodology/approach: From the literature review and inputs from the construction managers, key safety indicators were identified. The prioritization was accomplished using multi-criteria ranking method (MCRM). Dominance-based Rough Set (DRSA) is used for the ranking of indicators. It is based on Rough set theory which draws motivation from the indiscernibility relation between the objects. The importance of each indicator is assessed by MCRM method in the contribution towards establishing a safe workplace environment from different perspectives in a construction industry that includes management from top, middle and low-level management. Findings: The role and involvement of management in the operations and constant interaction with workers were found to have a significant impact on the safety performance of the firms. Imparting necessary safety training to the employees and promoting a friendly atmosphere at the workplace aids in building the confidence of the workers that subsequently make them safety compliant. Dedicated staff to ensure that the workers are following safety protocols enlisted in safety manuals acquires an important place in the measurement of the safety performance of the firms. Practical implications: The findings of the current study will help the senior management in the small scale Indian construction industry to gain a perspective to- wards the assessment of safety condition in the firms and establishing an efficient and easy-to-use safety assessment framework. It will also be useful for middle and low-level management, since they should read the results as a positive effect of their constant interaction with workers. Management is suggested to design a well-organized and detailed manual that documents the safety-related information including the proper use of safety equipment and emergency procedures. Originality/value: This paper proposes a safety framework for small-scale Indian construction industry for calibration and benchmarking safety performance of the employees. The mathematical foundation of the framework is the multi-criteria ranking based on Dominance based Rough set approach.