Browsing by Author "Manjula, NHC"

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item: Article-Full-text
Analysis of issues in sustainable water management of irrigation systems: case of a developing country
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021) Sirimewan, DC; Mendis, APKD; Rajini, D; Samaraweera, A; Manjula, NHC
Purpose Sustaining the irrigated agriculture, while conserving the natural eco-system, are the two main objectives of sustainable water management (SWM) in irrigation. Achieving both the objectives simultaneously is a complex task in most developing countries. This requires a holistic approach of understanding the issues in irrigation water management (IWM) from social, economic and environmental perspectives. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse the issues towards the SWM of irrigation systems in Sri Lanka to help maintain a stable relationship between the aforementioned two objectives. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative interview survey was selected as the research strategy to achieve the research aim. 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in IWM sector to collect data in the Sri Lankan context. Data were analysed using code-based content analysis, based on directed approach. Findings Findings revealed the issues in SWM in terms of efficiency of irrigation infrastructure; equity of water distribution; environmental integrity and economic acceptability. Most of the issues were related to the inefficiency towards SWM of irrigation systems. Conflicts among water users, especially the people in downstreams aggravated the problem of equity of water sharing. Depletion of groundwater and waterlogging were the major issues towards environmental integrity. Loss of water happened due to the issues in different irrigation infrastructure components hindering economic acceptability. Originality/value Theoretical contribution includes an analysis of issues in IWM from a sustainability perspective. Practical implications include an overview of deficiencies in the SWM to generate appropriate strategies to achieve sustainability for decision-makers such as policymakers in the irrigation sector in developing countries similar to Sri Lanka.
item: Thesis-Full-text
Developing a model to predict unsafe behaviour of construction workers in Sri Lanka
Manjula, NHC; de Silva, N
The construction industry is known to be one of the most accident-prone of work sectors around the globe. Although the construction output is less in Sri Lanka, compared to developed countries in general, the magnitude of the accident rate in the construction industry is significantly high. Most of the occupational accidents happen due to the unsafe behaviour of the workers. Along with this revelation, behaviour based safety has emerged as an effective approach to ensure occupational safety. The principal step of behaviour based safety approach involves the identification of the unsafe behaviour of the workers. The research, therefore, focused on investigating factors influencing construction workers’ unsafe behaviour and developing a model to predict unsafe behaviour originated from those factors. Quantitative research strategy was selected to carry out the study considering the nature of this investigation. The acts characterising the unsafe behaviour of construction workers, and the factors influencing those were identified through a literature survey. A pilot study was undertaken to validate and generalise the literature findings to the Sri Lankan construction industry. Fifteen unsafe acts those characterise the unsafe behaviour and fourteen factors those influence the unsafe behaviour were identified relevant to the local context. A survey approach was used to collect data. C1 grade building construction organisations were selected as the sampling framework. Twenty organisations were chosen within Colombo district to gather information from construction workers. The processed data were used to develop and train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) predictive model that could predict unsafe behaviour of a construction worker with respect to a score. Backpropagation architecture using Neuroph Studio software was employed to develop the predictive model. 277 data points taken from the survey were used to train the network. The architecture of the trained model was demonstrated by conducting a sensitivity analysis. Mean Absolute Error was the technique used in this process. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model is highly sensitive to the neuron corresponding to “education”, while the lowest sensitivity was evident for the neuron corresponding to “employee involvement in safety”. The results suggests that educational level of a worker has the highest influence on his unsafe behaviour at work. Similarly, the co-workers’ involvement in safety on site has the lowest influence on unsafe behaviour of a worker. Furthermore, the predictive model was validated for generalisability using seven data points those were not used in training the network. The findings depict that the performance of the model is accurate due to high generalisation capabilities in the validation session. The model serve as a prototype tool to determine the unsafe behaviour level of construction workers and their safety training needs. This model can further be employed as a tool to proactively design interventions to avoid or minimise occupational accidents based on the unsafe behaviour levels of construction workers.
item: Conference-Full-text
Factors influencing safety behaviours of construction workers
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2014-06) Manjula, NHC; De Silva, N; Sandanayake, YG; Fernando, NG; Karunasena, GI
Construction industry is known to be one of the most accident-prone of work sectors around the globe. Although the construction output is less in Sri Lanka, compared to developed countries in general, the magnitude of the accident rate in the construction industry is still significantly high. Most of the occupational accidents are due to the unsafe behaviours of the worker. Thus, studying the people factor in OSH is an effective way to manage OSH at work sites. The paper therefore focuses to investigate and prioritise the factors affecting construction workers’ safety behaviours. The study was structured in several steps. Initially in-depth knowledge gained regarding the research stream which was sorted upon the degree of relevance to the study. A total of 18 factors affecting construction workers’ safety behaviours were identified through an extensive literature survey. Data collection was carried out through a survey which consisted of two rounds. The first round was conducted to validate the factors found in literature; to the Sri Lankan context and in the second round, experts were asked to rate those factors according to their degree of influence. Experts’ rankings were used to calculate the Mean Score of Influence (MSI) of each factor and according to the MSI values, the factors were prioritised. Findings of the study revealed the most influencing personal factor was age while the most influencing organisational factor was OSH incentives. The least influencing factors were workmates’ safety concern and provision of PPE respectively under the categories, personal and organisational. These findings could be helpful in better understanding the construction workforce and in designing OSH systems for the construction industry.
item: Conference-Abstract
Factors influencing safety behaviours of construction workers
Manjula, NHC; De Silva, END
Construction industry is known to be one of the most accident-prone of work sectors around the globe. Although the construction output is less in Sri Lanka, compared to developed countries in general, the magnitude of the accident rate in the construction industry is still significantly high. Most of the occupational accidents are due to the unsafe behaviours of the worker. Thus, studying the people factor in OSH is an effective way to manage OSH at work sites. The paper therefore focuses to investigate and prioritise the factors affecting construction workers ’ safety behaviours. The study was structured in several steps. Initially in-depth knowledge gained regarding the research stream which was sorted upon the degree of relevance to the study. A total of 18 factors affecting const met ion workers' safety behaviours were identified through an extensive literature survey. Data collection was carried out through a survey which consisted of two rounds. The first round was conducted to validate the factors found in literature; to the Sri Lankan context and in the second round, experts were asked to rate those factors according to their degree of influence. Experts ’ rankings were used to calculate the Mean Score of Influence (MSI) of each factor and according to the MSI values, the factors were prioritised. Findings of the study revealed the most influencing personal factor was age while the most influencing organisational factor was OSH incentives. The least influencing factors were workmates' safety concern and provision of PPE respectively under the categories, personal and organisational. These findings could be helpful in better understanding the constmction workforce and in designing OSH systems for the construction industry.
item: Conference-Abstract
Factors influencing safety behaviours of construction workers
Manjula, NHC; De Silva, END
Construction industry is known to be one of the most accident-prone of work sectors around the globe. Although the construction output is less in Sri Lanka, compared to developed countries in general, the magnitude of the accident rate in the construction industry is still significantly high. Most of the occupational accidents are due to the unsafe behaviours of the worker. Thus, studying the people factor in OSH is an effective way to manage OSH at work sites. The paper therefore focuses to investigate and prioritize the factors affecting construction workers’ safety behaviours. The study was structured in several steps. Initially in-depth knowledge gained regarding the research stream which was sorted upon the degree of relevance to the study. A total of 18 factors affecting construction workers’ safety behaviours were identified through an extensive literature survey. Data collection was carried out through a survey which consisted of two rounds. The first round was conducted to validate the factors found in literature; to the Sri Lankan context and in the second round, experts were asked to rate those factors according to their degree of influence. Experts’ rankings were used to calculate the Mean Score of Influence (MSI) of each factor and according to the MSI values, the factors were prioritized. Findings of the study revealed the most influencing personal factor was age while the most influencing organizational factor was OSH incentives. The least influencing factors were work-mates’ safety concern and provision of PPE respectively under the categories, personal and organizational. These findings could be helpful in better understanding the construction workforce and in designing OSH systems for the construction industry.
item: Conference-Full-text
ICSECM 2015 - Facilities Management Approaches for Sustainability
(2016-01-05) Manjula, NHC; Dissanayake, DMPP; Rajini, PAD
In its most general sense sustainability is the capacity to endure. Sustainability has emerged as a result of significant concerns about the unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid population growth, economic growth and consumption of natural resources. Sustainability depends on three basic pillars; environmental, social and economical sustainability. In order to be sustainable, these three areas of sustainability must be achieved throughout the life cycle of a facility. The facility manager is in a unique position to view the entire process and is often the leader of the only group that has influence over the entire life cycle of a facility. Therefore, the facility manager often becomes the proponent of sustainable and green practices. Armed with the proper approaches, the Facility Manager can create long‐lasting value to the organisation by developing, implementing and maintaining sustainable facility practices. Therefore, this study attempts to pinpoint the Facilities Management approaches to achieve and maintain environmental, social and economical sustainability. A comprehensive literature review was carried out on a broader perspective with the purpose of getting familiarize with the research phenomena. Interview guidelines were developed based on the findings of the literature review. In order to validate and further the literature findings five expert interviews were carried out with experienced industry practitioners. Research findings revealed that in Sri Lankan context, a Facility Manager’s involvement for maintaining sustainability is most crucial in the operational phase of a facility. FM should have a clear view of environmental, social and economical aspects of sustainability. He / She should equally value the three pillars and a balanced approach needs to be taken in order to maintain a facility that is sustainable.
item: Conference-Full-text
ICSECM 2015 - Facilities Management Approaches for Sustainability
(2016-05-04) Manjula, NHC; Dissanayake, DMPP; Rajini, PAD
In its most general sense sustainability is the capacity to endure. Sustainability has emerged as a result of significant concerns about the unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid population growth, economic growth and consumption of natural resources. Sustainability depends on three basic pillars; environmental, social and economical sustainability. In order to be sustainable, these three areas of sustainability must be achieved throughout the life cycle of a facility. The facility manager is in a unique position to view the entire process and is often the leader of the only group that has influence over the entire life cycle of a facility. Therefore, the facility manager often becomes the proponent of sustainable and green practices. Armed with the proper approaches, the Facility Manager can create long-lasting value to the organisation by developing, implementing and maintaining sustainable facility practices. Therefore, this study attempts to pinpoint the Facilities Management approaches to achieve and maintain environmental, social and economical sustainability. A comprehensive literature review was carried out on a broader perspective with the purpose of getting familiarize with the research phenomena. Interview guidelines were developed based on the findings of the literature review. In order to validate and further the literature findings five expert interviews were carried out with experienced industry practitioners. Research findings revealed that in Sri Lankan context, a Facility Manager's involvement for maintaining sustainability is most crucial in the operational phase of a facility. FM should have a clear view of environmental, social and economical aspects of sustainability. He / She should equally value the three pillars and a balanced approach needs to be taken in order to maintain a facility that is sustainable.
item: Conference-Full-text
Incorporating facility managers into the design and construction phases to enhance building performance
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2017-06) Thapothiny, S; Gunatilake, S; Manjula, NHC; Sandanayake, YG; Ramachandra, T; Gunatilake, S
Facilities Management (FM) is a relatively new discipline that envelops many essential areas of the built environment. Facility Manager concerns both optimising building performance and ensuring success of the project. Direct incorporation of the Facility Manager into design and construction phases have potential to reduce many problems during the operational phase of buildings. However, many professionals are still unclear on the roles of Facility Manager in the design and construction phases and hence, their potential contribution during these stages. Therefore, aim of this paper was to investigate the potential for incorporating of Facility Managers into design and construction phases of building to enhance building performance. A critical review of literature was carried out for the purposes of understanding roles and essential functions of Facility Manager into design and construction phases. The case study approach was used to identify the current involvement of Facility Manager in design and construction phases. Moreover, barriers that restrict the involvement of the Facility Managers in the design and construction phases in the current context are also identified. The findings of this research are useful to promote the incorporation of a Facility Manager into design and construction phases in order to enhance quality and performance of buildings.
item: Conference-Full-text
Issues in sustainable water management of irrigation systems in Sri Lanka
Sirimewan, DC; Manjula, NHC; Samaraweera, A; Mendis, APKD
As the largest consumer of water, the irrigation sector has to play a critical role in managing water resources. Nevertheless, the current water management practices of irrigation are not achieving the benefits of sustainable use of water. The failure in achieving the expected performance of irrigation infrastructures urges the need for Sustainable Water Management (SWM). Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the issues in existing Irrigation Water Management (IWM) practices towards SWM of irrigation systems in Sri Lanka. The research aim was approached through a qualitative survey strategy. Expert interviews were conducted as the data collection technique. Twelve experts were selected through a purposive sampling strategy, who had experience in water management and technical development in irrigation systems. The collected data were analysed using the manual content analysis method. Findings of the research revealed that though numerous techniques are being practiced in IWM, there is a failure in water management in the current context. It was identified, water losses throughout the system, improper system operation and poor maintenance of structures, inefficient practices of irrigation, dis-integration of system components and lack of government intervention as major issues to achieve sustainable use of water in the case of irrigation. The identification and assessment of issues provide a range of their impacts to reveal the constraints in achieving SWM of irrigation.
item: Conference-Full-text
Key performance indicators for measuring the performance of facilities management services in hotel buildings: a literature review
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2018-06) Fernando, WDIJ; Dissanayake, DMPP; Manjula, NHC; Weerasinghe, AS; Sandanayake, YG; Gunatilake, S; Waidyasekara, KGAS
People travel across the world for leisure, business, and relaxation purposes and seek short term or longterm accommodation facilities. With the increase in globalisation and rapid development in technology, the hospitality industry is changing quite momentously in order to respond to the changing needs and expectations of the travellers. Similarly, hotels as one of the main pillars of the hospitality industry, have an important role in a country’s economic development. Subsequently, Facilities Management (FM) has become a demanding profession in developing and developed economies, which maximise profits while reducing operation and maintenance costs. In this context, Facilities Managers support the functionality of non-core activities of the hotel sector in line with the core objectives. However, there is an inadequate performance in building services and maintenance of hotel buildings, which lead to loss of productivity, a reduction in profitability, a loss of clients and a general negative company image. To this end, the Performance Measurement (PM) is an essential requirement in hotel sector to increase the performance of FM services. Therefore, this paper synthesises the FM performance based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that indicates how well the organisation is performing in accordance with their strategic objectives and goals. Further, the paper discusses the requirement of PM for FM services in hotel sector. Ultimately, a set of KPIs have been identified based on the available literature in order to measure the performance of FM services in hotel buildings.
item: Conference-Full-text
Managing challenges of high-rise residential buildings in Sri Lanka: a fm framework
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2018-06) Rifas, MMM; Manjula, NHC; Dissanayake, DMPP; Soorige, SDA; Sandanayake, YG; Gunatilake, S; Waidyasekara, KGAS
High Rise Residential Building (HRRB) is a fast-growing trend in Sri Lanka. These are regulated and managed by the Management Corporation (MC). However, In Sri Lankan context MC is poor performance has led to various issues and challenges in HRRB. Hence, to better manage as well as overcome such issues and challenges by suitable professional concept in HRRB. Thus, the study was aimed to develop Facilities Management (FM) solutions to manage issues and challenges of the HRRB in Sri Lanka. To achieve the aim four objectives were formulated. As, to investigate the issues and challenges of managing the HRRB, current management practices, possible FM solutions to mitigate the identified issues and challenges and develop a framework to manage the HRRB in Sri Lanka. A qualitative research approach was followed to achieve the aim of the research wherein case study method was selected as the most appropriate research method. The required data were collected via semi structured interviews and analysed using cross case analysis. The findings of the study revealed issues and challenges in HRRB falls into three main categories, namely building management, finance and resident related issues. Subsequently, the issues and challenges faced by the MC of HRRB in Sri Lankan context, and FM solutions adapted to overcome such as issues and challenges were identified. Hence, a framework has been proposed in this study to successfully manage issues and challenges in HRRB in Sri Lanka. This research increases the present level of awareness and importance associated with effective management practices for HRRB management within the scope of FM. Further, it introduces a framework for well managed the HRRB.
item: Conference-Full-text
Predicting unsafe behaviour of construction workers
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2017-06) Manjula, NHC; De Silva, N; Sandanayake, YG; Ramachandra, T; Gunatilake, S
The construction industry is known to be one of the most accident-prone of work sectors around the globe. Although the construction output is less in Sri Lanka, compared to developed countries in general, the magnitude of the accident rate in the construction industry is still significantly high. Most of the occupational accidents are due to the unsafe behaviour of the workers. Thus, studying the people-related factor in safety is an effective way to manage safety at work sites. This is a concept gaining more interest across industry sectors globally, and has the great advantage of needing the involvement of the individual employees. The paper therefore focused to investigate the factors influencing construction workers’ unsafe behaviours and develop a model to predict unsafe behaviours based on those factors. The factors affecting construction workers’ unsafe behaviour were identified through literature survey. Expert interviews were carried out to validate and generalize the factors found in literature, to the Sri Lankan context. Survey approach was used to collect data and the processed data were used to develop and train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to predict unsafe behaviour of a construction worker. Then training and validation of the developed model under 7 design parameters was carried out using the data on influential factors of unsafe behaviour of 284 construction workers of C1 Building Construction sector. The data were applied to the backpropagation algorithm to attain the optimal ANN Architectures. The findings depict that the success of an ANN is very sensitive to parameters selected in the training process gaining good generalization capabilities in validation session. The model can be used to determine the unsafe behaviour level of construction workers and their safety training needs.
item: Conference-Full-text
Promoting flexible workplace to enhance productivity of office worker
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2017-06) Jayathilaka, BS; Manjula, NHC; Rathnayake, RMNU; Dissanayake, DMPP; Sandanayake, YG; Ramachandra, T; Gunatilake, S
To improve workforce productivity and to make major cost savings, various innovative workplace concepts are being utilised. A carefully planned workplace can have a significant impact on the performance of an organization. Even though the importance of flexible workplace towards increased productivity has been identified as a vital point in workplace planning and designing in Sri Lankan office context, there is a lack of research done on the enhanced productivity of office workers of public sector offices in Sri Lanka through the flexible workplace approach. Thus, this research was undertaken to study the relationship between productivity level of the employees and the flexible workspace design arrangements of workplace environment. Accordingly, the study was structured with a mix approach to accomplish the aim of this research. Literature revealed that flexible workplace approach relates to the concept of the physical layout and functional opportunities of the workspace which affect the office worker productivity and thereby conceptual framework was developed based on the literature findings. Through the case study approach, study identified the existing workplace practices. Expert survey was carried out to discover barriers, strategies which can be used in Sri Lankan office context when implementing flexible workplace approach. The gathered data were thereafter analysed using N-Vivo (2011) software. Finally, a framework was developed to promote flexible workplace concept in order to enhance productivity of the workers of Sri Lankan public offices. The framework could be useful for designers, planners and real estate developers to incorporate flexible workplace planning in Sri Lankan public office sector.
item: Conference-Full-text
Saving energy in office buildings without compromising their indoor environmental quality
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2016-07) Akalanka, RADK; Perera, BAKS; Manjula, NHC; Sandanayake, YG; Karunasena, GI; Ramachandra, T
The concept of Internal Environmental Quality (IEQ) has emerged as a determinant of the performance of built environments due to its direct impact on the health, comfort and satisfaction of the occupants of the buildings and also due its role in ensuring a productive work environment. However, IEQ indicators such as thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and lighting level are associated with the most energy consuming utilities, namely HVAC and lighting. While IEQ and energy efficiency have been researched extensively, there is no published research on energy saving strategies that will optimize the IEQ in office buildings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify energy efficient strategies that will optimize the IEQ in office buildings. The research problem was approached through a case study analysis of four office buildings. The study identified energy efficient strategies that can be practiced without compromising the IEQ of a building. However, findings also asserted that there is no common platform to optimize the IEQ performance while achieving the best energy performance of a building. Energy efficient strategies to be adopted can depend on various internal and external factors of a facility. The findings will be useful for building managers who manage office buildings.
item: Conference-Full-text
SAVING ENERGY IN OFFICE BUILDINGSWITHOUT COMPROMISING THEIR INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
(2016-09-07) Akalanka, RADK; Perera, BAKS; Manjula, NHC
The concept of Internal Environmental Quality (IEQ) has emerged as a determinant of the performance of built environments due to its direct impact on the health, comfort and satisfaction of the occupants of the buildings and also due its role in ensuring a productive work environment. However, IEQ indicators such as thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and lighting level are associated with the most energy consuming utilities, namely HVAC and lighting. While IEQ and energy efficiency have been researched extensively, there is no published research on energy saving strategies that will optimize the IEQ in office buildings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify energy efficient strategies that will optimize the IEQ in office buildings. The research problem was approached through a case study analysis of four office buildings. The study identified energy efficient strategies that can be practiced without compromising the IEQ of a building. However, findings also asserted that there is no common platform to optimize the IEQ performance while achieving the best energy performance of a building. Energy efficient strategies to be adopted can depend on various internal and external factors of a facility. The findings will be useful for building managers who manage office buildings.
item: Conference-Full-text
Solar net zero energy buildings: a review
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2018-06) Udayanga, IP; Soorige, SDA; Manjula, NHC; Sandanayake, YG; Gunatilake, S; Waidyasekara, KGAS
Commercial and residential buildings account for almost 40% of the world total energy demand. In order to fulfil that energy requirement, large amount of fossil fuels are used and it has made a greater impact on the environmental sustainability and the economic stability of the society. Therefore, the industry gives more concern to create an environmentally friendly and economically viable renewable energy (RE) solution since last few decades. A number of environmentally friendly building design concepts have been established to promote the renewable energy (RE) usage in the building sector. Solar Net Zero Energy Building (Solar NZEB) can be identified as one such environmental friendly building design concept which has gained a significant global attention in the last decade. This study is focussed on reviewing the Solar NZEB concept and its applicability based on the literature. First the approaches to achieve zero energy balance in a building is explained in terms of energy efficiency measures and onsite renewable energy sources. Further, the design considerations of Solar Net Zero Energy Buildings are identified and following identification of the enablers and barriers for the Solar NZEB, the research concludes with a conceptual framework for Solar NZEB.
item: Conference-Full-text
Strengthening the safety culture for organizational sustainability
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2013-06) Manjula, NHC; Nayanthara, De Silva; Sandanayake, YG; Fernando, NG
The term ‘sustainable development’ can be defined as satisfying the needs of the current generation, without jeopardizing the future generation's ability to meet their needs. In terms of organizations, a Sustainable organization concerns the original momentum of the business continuity of the organization. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in general plays a key role in supporting business activities and delivering economic prosperity for the organization. Thus, OSH becomes a necessity for organizational sustainability. Organisational culture is a concept often used to describe shared corporate values that affect and influence members' attitudes and behaviours. Safety culture is a sub-facet of organizational culture, which is thought to affect members' attitudes and behaviour in relation to an organisation's ongoing safety and health performance. This paper aims to investigate the factors that influence safety culture positively in order to support the sustainability of the organization. A literature synthesis on organizational sustainability, occupational safety and health, safety culture, definitions of safety culture, components of safety culture and way to strengthen a safety culture are presented. The research findings highlighted that a safety culture mainly comprises of three components, namely, attitudes- both individual and organizational, work environment of and OSH systems occupied. Further few factors that influence safety culture positively were distinguished as management commitment to OSH, employee involvement and empowerment, proper OSH systems and feedback mechanisms, and continuous monitoring of OSH systems.
item: Conference-Full-text
Strengthening the safety culture for organizational sustainability
(2015-04-08) Manjula, NHC; De Silva, END
The term ‘sustainable development’ can be defined as satisfying the needs of the current generation, without jeopardizing the future generation's ability to meet their needs. In terms of organizations, aSustainable organization concerns the original momentum of the business continuity of theorganization. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in general plays a key role in supporting business activities and delivering economic prosperity for the organization. Thus, OSH becomes anecessity for organizational sustainability. Organisational culture is a concept often used to describe shared corporate values that affect and influence members' attitudes and behaviours. Safety culture isa sub-facet of organizational culture, which is thought to affect members' attitudes and behaviour inrelation to an organisation's ongoing safety and health performance. This paper aims to investigatethe factors that influence safety culture positively in order to support the sustainability of theorganization. A literature synthesis on organizational sustainability, occupational safety and health, safety culture, definitions of safety culture, components of safety culture and way to strengthen a safetyculture are presented. The research findings highlighted that a safety culture mainly comprises of three components, namely, attitudes-both individual and organizational, work environment of and OSH systems occupied. Further few factors that influence safety culture positively were distinguished as management commitment to OSH, employee involvement and empowerment, proper OSH systemsand feedback mechanisms, and continuous monitoring of OSH systems.
item: Article-Full-text
A Study on the Factors Affecting Safety Behavior of Construction Workers
(Faculty of Architecture University of Moratuwa, 2013-12) Manjula, NHC; De Silva, N
Construction industry, being one of the most injury-prone industries worldwide in terms of serious injuries, lost work time, hospitalization, disability, and mortality, is in a great need to improve occupational safety. Behavior Based Safety (BBS) is an approach that can be applied successfully in managing occupational safety; it is gaining more interest across industry sectors globally and has the great advantage of needing the involvement of the individual employee. This paper, therefore, aimed to investigate the factors governing construction workers' safety behavior. The factors which affect construction workers' safety behavior were identified through a comprehensive literature survey. Expert interviews were conducted in order to validate and generalize the factors found in literature to the Sri Lankan context. Two categories of factors were basically identified which affect the safety behavior of construction workers, namely personal and organizational. The personal factors included age, marital status, education level, working experience, haling dependents, and safety knowledge. Study indicated that personal factors such as habits and soda l life might also have an impact on a workers safety behavior yet need longitudinal research before generalizing to a particular context. Organizational factors identified were management commitment, OSH systems and feedback mechanisms, continuous monitoring of these systems, training and awareness for workers, accidents reporting and workforce empowerment. The findings of this research were modeled in a model of construction workers' safety behavior. The findings of this study can be used in enhancing the safety performance of the construction industry.
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A Study on the factors affecting safety behavior of construction workers
(2015-04-21) De Silva, END; Manjula, NHC
Construction industry, being one of the most injury-prone industries worldwide in terms of serious injuries, lost work time, hospitalization, disability, and mortality, is in a great need to improve occupational safety. Behavior Based Safety (BBS) is an approach that can be applied successfully in managing occupational safety; it is gaining more interest across industry sectors globally,and has the great advantage of needing the involvement of the individual employee. This paper therefore aimed to investigate the factors governing construction workers’ safety behaviorThe factors affecting construction workers’ safety behaviorwere identified through a comprehensive literature survey. Expert interviews were conducted in order to validate and generalize the factors found in literature,to the Sri Lankan context.Two categories of factors were basically identified which affect the safety behaviorof construction workers, namely personal and organizational. The personal factors included age, marital status, education level, working experience, having dependents, and safety knowledge. Study indicated that personal factors such as habits and social life might also have an impact on a workers safety behavioryet need longitudinal research before generalizing to a particular context. Organizational factors identified were management commitment, OSH systems and feedback mechanisms, continuous monitoring of these systems, training and awareness for workers, accidents reporting, and workforce empowerment. The findings of this research were modeled in a model of construction workers’ safety behavior.Findings of this study can be used in enhancing the safety performance of the construction industry