Rethinking Safety Indicators in the Norwegian Construction Industry

Abstract

The construction industry is known for being accident-prone, and it experiences a high number of occupational hazards and workplace incidents. This sector is characterized by fragmentation and temporariness, with high technical and organizational complexity which impacts the safety. A measure of safety often relates to this reactive nature of historical events such as accidents and incidents. Despite widespread recognition of their limitations, the Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) and Lost-Time Injury Rate (LTIR) remain the predominant (lagging) safety indicators in the Norwegian construction industry. However, criticisms regarding their statistical insensitivity, neglect of severity, and vulnerability to manipulation persist. This paper explores the paradox of these lagging indicators’ popularity, examining their role and the industry’s reliance on them in light of known deficiencies and criticism. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen key actors from clients and contractors of varying degrees in size, both private and public, to gain insights into the context and the current use of these lagging indicators. The results show that the stakeholders have collectively expressed their desire to move towards including a more proactive set of safety indicators. Learning from incidents and near misses and fostering organizational learning through enhanced communication are seen as relevant for more proactive safety measurement. Additionally, to meet the challenges in the context of increasing societal challenges, complexity, and uncertainty it is important to understand performance levels better. However, the research also emphasizes the retained relevance of incident measures, suggesting a nuanced balance between proactive and reactive indicators for overall safety performance measurements. The study highlights the need for the construction industry to move beyond traditional safety measures and embrace a performance-driven approach under complex conditions.