Evaluating road work site safety management: A case study of the Amman bus rapid transit project construction

Abstract

This study explores safety perceptions in Jordan’s road construction sites, where work-zone hazards have been insufficiently addressed despite extensive research elsewhere. The study focuses on the impact of safety measures on workers and their environment, providing in-depth insights into roadway construction projects’ safety climate. The study analyzed responses from the Project-Based Group (PB) and the General-Based Group (GB). The PB group included 75 subjects interviewed face-to-face, while the GB group had 43 subjects who filled out an online form. The ratings indicate that staff training, traffic operations, loading/unloading, and site administration safety measures are perceived positively. However, there is a need to improve general site safety and maintenance/management protocols. Safety perceptions differ significantly between the PB and GB groups across multiple safety factors. While the response rates are similar to some extent, differences in safety measure evaluations emphasize the need for targeted interventions. The study highlights the importance of standardized safety protocols, particularly in areas like general traffic safety and maintenance. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the research identifies nine factors that shed light on safety perceptions. Sociodemographic elements such as age, job roles, education, and representation significantly impact perceptions. The correlation analysis reinforces the association of factors. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis model (1^st and 2^nd order) confirms a strong association between the latent and observed variables. However, some model fit criteria were still unmet, signaling the need for further refinement. Despite challenges, the research provides valuable insights into construction safety perceptions, guiding future research.

Keywords:

• work zones
• safety factors
• applications rating
• perception
• safety appropriateness rating
• exploratory factor analysisi
• confirmatory factor analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical Statement

Verbal informed consent was obtained from all subjects before participating in this study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the I personally funded my work.

Notes on contributors

Lina Shbeeb

Lina I. Shbeeb -Associate Professor in the civil engineering department at Hussein Technical University - was born in Nablus, Palestine, in 1962. She received a B.Sc. degree in civil engineering from the University of Jordan (1985) and an M.Sc. in traffic and highway engineering from the University of Jordan (1993). She had a Ph.D. in traffic planning and engineering from Lund University, Sweden (2000). She is a senior traffic and transport engineer with over 38 years of experience in traffic and transportation engineering, serving in public and private sectors, including 23 years in academia. She served as minister of transport (2013-2015) in the Jordan government and a dean of engineering at Al-Ahlyya Amman University (2017-2018) and Dean of basic and social sciences at Hussein Technical University (2019-2022). Research interests include traffic safety, traffic analysis and operation, pavement management, public transport planning and operation, transportation economics, and intelligent transportation systems. An active member in professional institutes. She is the co-founder and the CEO of Enrich, an engineering consultancy.