Strategies for improving safety performance of repair, maintenance, minor alteration and addition (RMAA) works

• Published in: Facilities (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) Vol. 29; no. 13/14; pp. 591 - 610
• Main Authors: Hon, Carol K.H, Chan, Albert P.C, Chan, Daniel W.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 18.10.2011
• Subjects: Accident prevention; Alterations; Communication; Construction accidents & safety; Construction industry; Contractors; Data collection; Economics; Education; Employees; Enforcement; Expenditures; Fatalities; Government agencies; Incentives; Industrial safety; Infrastructure; Injuries; Maintenance; Occupational safety; Performance enhancement; Performance evaluation; Personnel selection; Repair; Safety; Safety management; Safety programs; Social responsibility; Strategy; Studies; Hong Kong China; United States > US; China; Repair and maintenance; Hong Kong; China; Safety strategies; Construction engineering works; Safety performance; Maintenance programmes
• ISSN: 0263-2772; 1758-7131
• DOI: 10.1108/02632771111178391

Purpose - Managing and maintaining infrastructure assets are one of the indispensible tasks for many government agencies to preserve the nations' economic viability and social welfare. To reduce the expenditures over the life-cycle of an infrastructure asset and extend the period for which the asset performs effectively, proper repair and maintenance are essential. While repair, maintenance, minor alteration and addition (RMAA) sector is expanding in many developed cities, occurrences of fatalities and injuries in this sector are also soaring. The purposes of this paper are to identify and then evaluate the various strategies for improving the safety performance of RMAA works.Design methodology approach - Semi-structured interviews and two rounds of Delphi survey were conducted for data collection.Findings - Raising safety awareness of RMAA workers and selecting contractors with a good record of safety performance are the two most important strategies to improve the safety performance in this sector. Technology innovations and a pay-for-safety scheme are regarded as the two least important strategies.Originality value - The paper highlights possible ways to enhance safety of the rather under-explored RMAA sector in the construction industry.