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Falls from Height in the Construction Industry: A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature

Author

Listed:
  • Evan A. Nadhim

    (School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Carol Hon

    (School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Bo Xia

    (School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Ian Stewart

    (Institute of Health Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland 4001, Australia)

  • Dongping Fang

    (Department of Construction Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China)

Abstract

Globally, falls from height (FFH) are a substantial public health jeopardy and are among the important leading causes of serious and fatal injuries for construction workers. A comprehensive understanding of the causal factors in FFH incidents is urgently required; however, the literature appears to lack a scientific review of FFH. In this study, 297 articles that contribute to the topic of fall incidents were reviewed. Seventy-five (75) articles met the criteria for relevance and were aggregated in a database to support a critical review. A synthesis of macro-variables approach was adopted rather than a structured meta-analysis. Such a method of analysis provides the flexibility to combine previous studies' findings. The most common factors associated with FFH are risky activities, individual characteristics, site conditions, organizational characteristics, agents (scaffolds/ladders) and weather conditions. The outcomes contributed to identifying the most significant research area for safety enhancement by improving engineering facilities, behaviour investigations and FFH prevention methods.

Suggested Citation

  • Evan A. Nadhim & Carol Hon & Bo Xia & Ian Stewart & Dongping Fang, 2016. "Falls from Height in the Construction Industry: A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:7:p:638-:d:72877
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mengchun Zhang & Dongping Fang, 2013. "A cognitive analysis of why Chinese scaffolders do not use safety harnesses in construction," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 207-222, March.
    2. Kun Hu & Hazhir Rahmandad & Tonya Smith-Jackson & Woodrow Winchester, 2011. "Factors influencing the risk of falls in the construction industry: a review of the evidence," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(4), pages 397-416.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xiuyu Wu & Hongping Yuan & Ge Wang & Shuquan Li & Guangdong Wu, 2019. "Impacts of Lean Construction on Safety Systems: A System Dynamics Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Runhao Guo & Heng Li & Dongliang Han & Runze Liu, 2023. "Feasibility Analysis of Using Channel State Information (CSI) Acquired from Wi-Fi Routers for Construction Worker Fall Detection," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-17, March.
    3. Kriengsak Panuwatwanich & Natapit Roongsrisoothiwong & Kawin Petcharayuthapant & Sirikwan Dummanonda & Sherif Mohamed, 2020. "Ambient Intelligence to Improve Construction Site Safety: Case of High-Rise Building in Thailand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Albert P. C. Chan & Junfeng Guan & Tracy N. Y. Choi & Yang Yang & Guangdong Wu & Edmond Lam, 2023. "Improving Safety Performance of Construction Workers through Learning from Incidents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-26, March.
    5. Sung-Yong Kang & Seongi Min & Deokhee Won & Young-Jong Kang & Seungjun Kim, 2021. "Suggestion of an Improved Evaluation Method of Construction Companies’ Industrial Accident Prevention Activities in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-25, August.
    6. Fani Antoniou & Nektaria Filitsa Agrafioti, 2023. "Meta-Analysis of Studies on Accident Contributing Factors in the Greek Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, January.
    7. S M Jamil Uddin & Alex Albert & Abdullah Alsharef & Bhavana Pandit & Yashwardhan Patil & Chukwuma Nnaji, 2020. "Hazard Recognition Patterns Demonstrated by Construction Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, October.
    8. María del Carmen Rey-Merchán & Jesús M. Gómez-de-Gabriel & Antonio López-Arquillos & Sang D. Choi, 2021. "Analysis of Falls from Height Variables in Occupational Accidents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Xiaoshan Zhou & Pin-Chao Liao, 2023. "EEG-Based Performance-Driven Adaptive Automated Hazard Alerting System in Security Surveillance Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    10. Juan Carlos Rubio-Romero & Manuel Suárez-Cebador & María del Carmen Pardo-Ferreira & José María De la Varga-Salto & Jesús Antonio Carrillo-Castrillo, 2019. "Does Europe Need an EU Product Safety Directive for Access Scaffolding?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Ting-Min Hsieh & Ching-Hua Tsai & Hang-Tsung Liu & Chun-Ying Huang & Sheng-En Chou & Wei-Ti Su & Shiun-Yuan Hsu & Ching-Hua Hsieh, 2020. "Effect of Height of Fall on Mortality in Patients with Fall Accidents: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-16, June.
    12. Minsu Lee & Jaemin Jeong & Jaewook Jeong & Jaehyun Lee, 2021. "Exploring Fatalities and Injuries in Construction by Considering Thermal Comfort Using Uncertainty and Relative Importance Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-30, May.

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