Factors that Impact Construction Workers' Hazard Recognition Ability and their Technological Solutions

Hazard recognition is considered as one of the pre-requisites for effective hazard management and injury prevention. However, in complex and changing environments, construction workers are often unable to identify all possible hazards that can occur in the jobsite. Therefore, identification of factors that impact hazard recognition in the work environment is necessary to reduce safety incidents as well as to develop strategies that can improve worker's hazard recognition performance. This study identified factors/problems that impact worker's hazard recognition abilities and suggested some potential technologies that can mitigate such problems. Literature reviews of journal articles and published reports related to hazard recognition studies were conducted to identify the factors. The study found out that the major factor responsible for affecting worker's hazard recognition abilities were human-related. Industry factors, Organizational factors and Physical factors of the site were the other factors identified from the study that impact worker's hazard recognition performances. The findings from the study can help site personnel recognize areas where effective measures can be directed towards worksite safety of workers while working in complex construction environments.