Simulation-based analysis of occupational health and safety continuous improvement (OHSCI) in modern construction and infrastructure industries

Current advances in the theory and practice of construction and infrastructure worksite safety are supported by effective decision-making to identify and minimize hazards and risks. The dynamic and complex environment of the construction and infrastructure industry imposes significant challenges for decision-makers and stakeholders. Therefore, occupational health and safety continuous improvement (OHSCI) is vital to tackle this intricate problem. There is currently limited research to quantify the impact and the efficacy of OHSCI in construction and infrastructure domains. This research bridges the gap and gauges OHSCI impacts across different subsectors of the industry and organization sizes. Towards this aim, an integrated risk register is constructed using primary data collected from 2016 onwards. Subsequently, efficacy of OHSCI is measured using standard project performance metrics. The research findings demonstrate an inverse relationship between the frequency and severity of worksite accidents and the extent of OHSCI. Moreover, alternative methods to gauge impacts of OHSCI on project schedule performance are evaluated. Genetic algorithms and bi-section methods showed promising results in quantifying impacts of OHSCI and progressing towards zero-harm workplace environments.