Knowledge, attitude and practices for design for safety: A study on civil & structural engineers

An examination of the relationship between risk perceptions, cultural-religious beliefs and coping during COVID-19 pandemic control in South Asian countries: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Covid 19 was declared as a public health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) due to its rapid spread and catastrophic effects on health. It affected around 119 M people with mortality rate of 0.27% worldwide, including South-Asians. This review aims to understand the risk perceptions, cultural religious beliefs and the coping mechanisms of South Asians during the Covid 19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The following search engines were used: Medline, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Included studies investigated perceptions and opinions of individuals on knowledge, risk and protective factors, native faith based practices, and attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

The database search produced 282 articles to screen. The final narrative synthesis included five studies comprising of 13,476 participants from Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Ten studies, comprising 7,893 participants, were eligible and included for meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence with maximum heterogeneity for correct knowledge of symptoms, hand washing or use of sanitizers, face masking use of herbal or traditional remedies and physical distancing or avoidance of contact was reported through meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

The review brings forth a useful comparison of individual and cultural differences in KAP, risk perceptions and coping strategies. This review highlights the need for and importance of tailored information dissemination, culturally sensitive risk communication, targeted educational interventions, community engagement and empowerment, policy, and infrastructure improvements, as well as continued research and data collection. By addressing these implications, efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 can be more effective and equitable across diverse populations.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42021246475.

Analysis of design-for-safety implementation factors in the Indonesian construction industry: A two-staged SEM-artificial neural network approach

Despite the rapid growth of infrastructure development in Indonesia, work safety remains a major concern in construction projects. Design-for-safety (DfS) is a critical strategy to prevent work accidents. The implementation of design-for-safety is one of the most important strategies for preventing work accidents. This study aimed to analyze multiple factors that influence the implementation of work safety design using two statistical approaches: structural equation modeling and an artificial neural network. Structural equation modeling analyzes the relationship pattern between variables and their indicators, and artificial neural network maps various similar patterns to predict variables that influence implementation. Designers, owners, policies, tools/equipment, knowledge, and contract documents positively affect design-for-safety implementation, with design and contract documents being the most significant variables. Accordingly, industry and government agencies are advised to prioritize contract documents and design factors, along with other variables as supporting factors in their programs to accelerate design-for-safety implementation in Indonesia.

Analysis of prevention through design studies in construction: A subject review

INTRODUCTION

The concept of addressing and minimizing construction site safety risks in the early phase of a project has generated research interest, especially since the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) launched its national Prevention through Design (PtD) initiative in July 2007. In the last decade, several studies on PtD with differeing goals and methods have been published in construction journals. To date, few systematic examinations of the development and trends associated with PtD research have been conducted in the discipline.

METHOD

This paper presents a study of the latest PtD research trends in construction safety management through analysis of publications in prominent construction journals from 2008 to 2020. Both descriptive and content analyses were conducted based on the number of papers published annually and clusters of topics covered in the papers.

RESULTS

The study shows an increasing interest in PtD research in recent years. Research topics covered mainly focus on the perspectives of PtD stakeholders, PtD resources/tools/procedures, and technology applications to facilitate PtD implementation in practice. This review study provides an improved understanding of the state-of-the-art of PtD research in terms of accomplishments and research gaps. The study also compares the findings from journal articles with industry best practices related to PtD to guide future research in this domain.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This review study is of significant value to researchers to overcome the limitations of the current PtD studies, and to extend the scope of PtD research, and can be used by industry professionals when considering and selecting appropriate PtD resources/tools in practice.

Design for safety in the construction industry: a study of architecture and engineering firms in Saudi Arabia

Purpose

This research aims to examine the practice of design for safety (DfS) in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

The study has adopted a mixed-method approach through the use of questionnaire surveys administered to professionals in architecture and engineering firms, as well as follow-up interviews with selected participants. The participants consisted of architects, structural engineers and electromechanical engineers. The study investigated dimensions related to knowledge and awareness, attitude toward DfS implementation and critical success factors for DfS implementation. These various dimensions have been assessed accordingly through the mean ratings in the relevant section of this paper. The thematic responses obtained from the follow-up interviews have been summarized and presented.

Findings

The findings from this study reveal a high level of awareness of DfS in Saudi Arabia. It also revealed that the most influential critical success factors are legislation and awareness of stakeholders, whereas the major barrier is the fear of cost overruns by the clients and their representatives.

Originality/value

The design stage of construction projects is crucial to enhancing the safety performance of projects through effective control of hazardous situations. The concept of DfS is, however, immature in many countries, such as Saudi Arabia, due to lack of awareness, enabling policies and other barriers. The value of this study is that it shows the current level of knowledge and practice of DfS in architecture and engineering firms in Saudi Arabia and consequently triggers the interest of stakeholders in its adoption and implementation.

Prioritization of industry level interventions to improve implementation of design for safety regulations

INTRODUCTION

Many countries introduced mandatory Design for Safety (DfS) or Prevention through Design (PtD) requirements to reduce construction accident rates. However, there is a knowledge gap on the relative importance of industry level interventions to improve the implementation of DfS regulations. Thus, this study aims to identify and prioritize a set of industry level interventions to help regulators and industry associations understand the industry's perceptions and improve the implementation of mandatory DfS.

METHOD

A mixed method approach consisting of 59 semi-structured interviews, four focus group discussions, and an online poll was implemented.

RESULTS

Key challenges faced during DfS implementations were identified (lack of guidelines, lack of commitment towards DfS, the inadequate capability of DfS team, and limited effectiveness of DfS Professionals (DfSPs)). The study elicited eight industry level interventions to overcome these challenges and ranked them based on effectiveness and ease of implementation. The ranked industry level interventions in descending order are continuing training for DfSPs, samples and guidelines, DfS training for non-DfSPs, Building Information Modelling (BIM) for DfS review, strengthening DfSP as a profession, DfS awards for developers, third party audits for DfS reviews, and submission of DfS Risk Register to regulator.

CONCLUSIONS

Identified interventions were classified into four intervention categories: (a) improving competency/ knowledge; (b) technological tools; (c) checks/ audits; and (d) recognitions/ certifications. The key contributions of this study are the identification and prioritization of industry level interventions for DfS, and the classification of safety interventions available to industry associations and regulators.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Findings from this study help regulators and industry associations prioritize their resources to improve the implementation of mandatory DfS. Moreover, regulators and industry associations can also use the generic framework of industry level interventions to identify possible interventions to improve other mandatory WSH processes.

Enhancing the construction projects safety performance level to confront the civil engineering trades-related hazards

Purpose

This work affords a practical checklist that specifies the civil engineering trades-related hazards and offers a safety indicator to identify the safety level of a construction project concerning the hazards of the civil engineering trades.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology depends on reviewing the archival works, visiting the construction sites, utilizing the direct observation and preliminary hazard analysis methods and conducting semistructured interviews to pinpoint and validate the checklist of the civil engineering trades-related hazards. Additionally, a questionnaire-based survey with the rank sum weight technique has been employed to assemble and analyze the data required to build the safety indicator.

Findings

Relying upon the used methodology, 70 hazards under the trades of general environment, earth, demolition, excavation, concrete, dewatering, waterproofing insulation and scaffolding have been pinpointed and validated. This is in addition to the safety level indicator of the civil engineering trades-related hazards (SLICETH), which indicates high viability during its validation in five national and international projects.

Originality/value

The value of this work lies in its ability to tackle the gap existing in the safety management knowledge regarding the notion of the hazards of the civil engineering trades and their influences on the safety performance of the construction projects. As a result, it offers a complete knowledge to the academics and the practitioners for confronting the negative impacts of the civil engineering trades-related hazards. Consequently, it helps in enhancing the safety performance level in the sites of the construction projects.

Critical Factors of Promoting Design for Safety in China's Subway Engineering Industry

DfS (design for safety) can significantly reduce the engineering safety risk, decreasing the economic and social losses caused by safety accidents. To introduce DfS in China’s subway engineering, and with the help of a literature review and semi-structured expert interview, this study sorted out 28 promoting factors (including policy environment, practice, guidelines and tools, and education four categories) and seven impediment factors to DfS implementation. Through 80 questionnaire surveys of staff from universities, research institutes, and subway development, design, construction, and operation companies, this study screened out 26 promoting factors and seven impediment factors to assess the relationship between the two types of factors. The research provides a reference for DfS implementation in countries that have not implemented DfS before, such as China.

Research on Disaster Literacy and Affecting Factors of College Students in Central China

OBJECTIVES

Disaster literacy, which is a concept involved in moral quality, knowledge, and ability, impacts the disaster response. This study aimed to evaluate disaster education needs and to determine the affecting factors of disaster literacy among college students.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted through questionnaires. A total of 7200 college students from 10 colleges and universities in 5 provinces and cities in China were investigated.

RESULTS

Disaster education needs were urgently. For the participants, 79.43% stated that their families were not prepared for disaster prevention items, 96.36% suggested a campus emergency rescue team, and 88.64% obtained disaster knowledge through TV or Internet, and only 12.89% had offered relevant courses in their disciplines. The total scores of college students' disaster literacy were 87.85 ± 19.86, which was at a low level. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, major, grade, place of residence, parental education, mother's occupation, disaster experience, disaster training experience, and family disaster preparedness significantly affected college students' disaster literacy, especially grade, family disaster preparedness, and place of residence.

CONCLUSIONS

College students' disaster literacy education is urgently needed. Families, communities, colleges and the government should attach importance to disaster literacy education for college students.

Towards Resilient Civil Infrastructure Asset Management: An Information Elicitation and Analytical Framework

It is rather difficult for the stakeholders to understand and implement the resilience concept and principles in the infrastructure asset management paradigm, as it demands quality data, holistic information integration and competent data analytics capabilities to identify infrastructure vulnerabilities, evaluate and predict infrastructure adaptabilities to different hazards, as well as to make damage restoration and resilience improvement strategies and plans. To meet the stakeholder’s urgent needs, this paper proposes an information elicitation and analytical framework for resilient infrastructure asset management. The framework is devised by leveraging the best practices and processes of integrated infrastructure asset management and resilience management in the literature, synergizing the common elements and critical concepts of the two paradigms, ingesting the state-of-the-art interconnected infrastructure systems resilience analytical approaches, and eliciting expert judgments to iteratively improve the derived framework. To facilitate the stakeholders in implementing the framework, two use case studies are given in this paper, depicting the detailed workflow for information integration and resilience analytics in infrastructure asset management. The derived framework is expected to provide an operational basis to the quantitative resilience management of civil infrastructure assets, which could also be used to enhance community resilience.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of cigarette smoking among senior secondary school students in Depok, Indonesia

BACKGROUND

Smoking behavior is primarily initiated and established during adolescence. Understanding the social context of smoking behavior among young people is required for developing strategies in preventing first tobacco use.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at exploring the determinants of smoking behavior among senior secondary school students in Depok, Indonesia by identifying knowledge regarding smoking-related adverse outcomes, perception and attitude toward smoking behavior and tobacco control policy.

METHODS

This study employed a cross-sectional design method. A total of 587 students from six senior secondary schools in Depok, Indonesia participated in this study. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted to determine associations between cigarette smoking and independent variables.

RESULTS

Respondents ranged from 14 to 19 years old students. The proportion of current cigarette smokers were 99 students (17.0%) where the majority of the smokers were male (35.5%). The majority of the students, both smokers and non-smokers, were aware that cigarette smoking causes health problems. The present study found that attitudes that may lead to smoking behavior, in most cases, have been found to be significantly different between smokers and non-smokers. The perception of smoking behavior of smokers and non-smokers, such as smoking makes one more confident, cool, makes it easier to make friends, can relieve stress, symbolizes adulthood and masculinity, was statistically significant to smoking behavior.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of changing youths' image of cigarette smoking than merely educating students regarding the health hazards of smoking when they already possessed a good knowledge about those issues.

Design for occupational safety and health of workers in construction in developing countries: a study of architects in Nigeria

PURPOSE

Design for safety (DfS) of workers is amongst the prominent ways of tackling poor occupational safety and health performance in construction. However, in developing countries there is extremely limited research on DfS. This study thus makes an important contribution to the subject of DfS in developing countries by specifically examining the awareness and practice of DfS amongst architects within the construction sector of Nigeria.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A survey of architects, yielding 161 valid responses, was conducted.

RESULTS

While there is high awareness of the concept of DfS, the actual practice is low. Additionally, although there is high interest in DfS training, the engagement in DfS training is low. Significantly, awareness of DfS, training and education related to DfS, and membership of a design professional body have very limited bearing on the practice of DfS by architects.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings are thus symptomatic of the prevalence of influential DfS implementation barriers within the construction sector. Industry stakeholders should seek to raise the profile of DfS practice within the sector. Furthermore, similar empirical studies in the construction sector of other developing countries would be useful in shedding light on the status of DfS in these countries.

Knowledge about and sources of smoking-related knowledge, and influencing factors among male urban secondary school students in Chongqing, China

Objectives

This study examined smoking-related knowledge, sources of smoking-related knowledge and its influencing factor among male urban secondary school students.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey, using a self-administered questionnaire, among 1297 male secondary school students in municipal areas of Chongqing, China.

Results

Non-smokers had a better knowledge of smoking hazards than smokers. Less than 20% of students knew that smoking can cause heart disease, peptic ulcer, and cerebral stroke. Sources of smoking-related knowledge differed between smokers and non-smokers, respectively: TV (76.5 vs. 76.7%), teacher (70.1 vs. 62.4%), social network (66.6 vs. 73.1%), parents (57.0 vs. 59.2%), newspaper (55.4 vs. 61.6%), and friends (37.7 vs. 33.9%). Non-smokers’ hobbies of reading were significantly higher than smokers’ (χ² = 11.5845, p = 0.0007). Smokers’ hobbies of online games (χ² = 14.9106, p = 0.0001), and sports (χ² = 4.8609, p = 0.0275) were significantly higher than non-smokers’. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) found that students whose both father and mother smoke were unable to receive tobacco-related knowledge. GEE also found that students in high school, with affluent family economic condition and with an opposing attitude towards father smoking possessed a better smoking-related knowledge. However, male students with disagreement or neutral attitude towards friends smoking were negatively associated with the knowledge of smoking hazards.

Conclusions

The findings of the present study suggest that a significant proportion of male secondary school students in urban Chongqing lack specific knowledge about smoking-related diseases. Targeted educational programs for secondary school students in China are needed to promote tobacco control and tobacco use reduction and cessation among students.