International Journal of Occupational Safety and

Ergonomics

ISSN: 1080-3548 (Print) 2376-9130 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tose20

An application of the Pareto method in surveys to

diagnose managers’ and workers’ perception of
occupational safety and health on selected Polish
construction sites

Jerzy Obolewicz & Andrzej Dąbrowski

To cite this article: Jerzy Obolewicz & Andrzej Dąbrowski (2017): An application of the Pareto
method in surveys to diagnose managers’ and workers’ perception of occupational safety and
health on selected Polish construction sites, International Journal of Occupational Safety and
Ergonomics, DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2017.1375781

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2017.1375781

© 2017 Central Institute for Labour

Protection – National Research Institute
(CIOP-PIB). Published by Informa UK
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International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE), 2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2017.1375781

An application of the Pareto method in surveys to diagnose managers’ and workers’ perception
of occupational safety and health on selected Polish construction sites
Jerzy Obolewicza and Andrzej Dabrowski
˛ b∗

a Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Białystok University of Technology, Poland b Central Institute for Labour Protection
– National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB), Poland

The construction industry is an important sector of the economy in Poland. According to the National Labour Inspectorate
(PIP) data of 2014, the number of victims of fatal accidents in the construction sector amounted to 80 as compared with 187
injured in all other sectors of economy in Poland. This article presents the results of surveys on the impact of construction
worker behaviour on the occupational safety and health outcomes. The surveys took into account the point of view of
both construction site management (tactical level) and construction workers (operational level). For the analysis of results,
the method of numerical taxonomy and Pareto charts was employed, which allowed the authors to identify the areas of
occupational safety and health at both an operational and a tactical level, in which improvement actions needed to be
proposed for workers employed in micro, small, medium and large construction enterprises.
Keywords: occupational safety and health diagnosis; survey research; Pareto method; construction site

1. Introduction employees, is an important source of information on the

The construction industry is an important sector of the
economy, which involves a significant proportion of
employees globally. In the European Union it is consid-
ered a particularly hazardous sector. This is due to various
significant hazards caused by, e.g., working at heights, in
excavations or on traffic routes.
According to statistics from around the world, con-
struction workers are three times more prone to fatal
accidents and two times more prone to injuries as com-
pared with workers employed in other economy sectors.
According to European data, each year in the construc-
tion sector over 1000 workers are killed in accidents, and
over 800,000 are injured [1]. According to global data,
each year 60,000 employees are killed in the construction
industry worldwide. The construction sector employs 10%
of workers globally, yet 20–40% of the total number of
fatal accidents taking place in all economic sectors occur
therein [2].
According to the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP)
data of 2014 [3], the number of victims of fatal accidents
in the construction sector amounted to 80 as compared
with 187 injured in all other sectors of economy in Poland
(Figure 1).
As such, the diagnosis of the state of occupational
safety and health (OSH), taking account of the opinions
of both interested construction company owners and their
causes of emerging hazards and the prevention thereof.
Moreover, workers’ behaviour and their perception of mat-
ters on the construction site have a significant impact on
the state of safety and health protection in the construction
industry.
1.1. State of the art
An analysis of publications from recent years allows one
to note the significance attributed by researchers to work-
ers’ opinions, attitudes and behaviour on the construction
site. To this end, methods involving surveys, interviews
and accident analysis are employed.
There is a focus on the role for shaping the so-called
culture of OSH, played by the so-called safety leadership
of various participants in the construction process, such as
owners of subcontracting companies or the general con-
tractor’s companies. However, this is of importance where
proper communication between various organizational lev-
els on the construction site is maintained [2].
In order to create the right climate to ensure OSH,
appropriate institutional pressure in this regard is required.
The research on this issue was carried out using 186 ques-
tionnaires completed in various construction companies,
which related to the application of coercive and legislative
measures. These questionnaires indicated various ways
in which institutions may contribute to facilitating the

*Corresponding author. Email: andab@ciop.pl

© 2017 Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed,
or built upon in any way.
2 J. Obolewicz and A. Dabrowski
Figure 1. Number of fatal accidents victims which occurred in Poland in 2014 and were investigated by the National Labour
Inspectorate (PIP) [3].
creation of the climate to improve the conditions of OSH
within construction companies [4].
Various research methods were also used to determine
the factors impacting construction workers’ safety as well
as their dangerous behaviour, including interviews and sur-
veys. A statistical analysis of the research results helped to
identify 14 such factors which were grouped into aspects
of: the subjective perception of hazards, knowledge and
experience, the specific nature of the executed work and
safety management [5].
In order to develop a safety strategy in construction
companies, an analysis and selection of 221 safety prac-
tices applied in construction companies in Chile, which,
according to the authors, may also be applied in other
countries [6], was also used.
What is also important to the improvement in occupa-
tional safety is analysis of the causes of accidents resulting
from specific characteristics of the groups of emigrants
working on the construction site. The method employed
in this case involved interviews in the work environ-
ment, supported by appropriate photographic documenta-
tion. The article suggests that for groups of emigrants, the
factors responsible for accidents include: (a) the time pres-
sure combined with their inexperience gained in their home
country; (b) assignment of more dangerous tasks to emi-
grants due to racism and discrimination; (c) willingness to
accept an increased risk for fear of losing their job and,
thus, an opportunity to support extended family; (d) unwill-
ingness to express their opinion to superiors in fear of
restrictions; (e) difficulties arising from family trouble; (f)
difficulties with asking for help resulting from the so-called
national pride [7].
The surveys were also used to investigate the causes of
injuries in students undertaking work in construction com-
panies in Norway. With a high coefficient, it was found that
the highest risk to students occurred in small construction
˛
companies, particularly those employing from 20 to 49
workers [8].
Statistics of occupational accidents were also used for
an analysis of the interdependencies of the risk of injury
and the construction workers’ age and experience. It was
found that in activities requiring specialized training, the
number of injured among workers with a length of employ-
ment under 4 years was higher than in the work involving
simple physical activities. The workers fraught with the
highest risk are those with a length of employment under 4
years, within the age group of 20–34 years [9].
Surveys were also used for investigating the state of
safety in small construction companies. Selected important
aspects of occupational safety in small Polish construc-
tion companies were also investigated, such as cooperation
with the general contractor, OSH documentation, occu-
pational risk assessment, organization of work, protective
equipment and work equipment [10].
In New Zealand, approximately 215 questionnaires
were collected from workers attending safety training
programmes at three different training centres. The pro-
grammes were provided by a national not-for-profit orga-
nization. Eight competing models were tested using struc-
tural equation modelling (SEM). They aimed to explore
how safety climate factors positively affected safety
behaviour. The developed integrative model suggests a
combination of a safe organization, safe groups and safe
workers’ strategies to reduce unsafe behaviour on con-
struction sites [11].
The results from a comprehensive analysis including
surveys of 1018 apprentice carpenters and observational
audits on 197 residential construction sites were used for
fall prevention. This research supports growing evidence
that worksite safety can be improved by training pro-
grammes geared towards boosting knowledge, changing
attitudes and behaviours that affect construction falls [12].
 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) 3

Table 1. Aspects and issues for the operational and tactical levels included in the survey.

Aspects and issues included in the survey

Operational level Tactical level
The aspect of preparation and organization of the The aspect of effectiveness and efficiency of actions taken by
construction construction site management in the field of OSH
1.A Construction site A1 Management commitment in the issues related to OSH protection
1.B Sanitary facilities A2 Specified aims in the area of OSH
1.C Lighting, electrical power equipment A3 Plans for achieving the OSH aims (tasks, deadlines, measures, responsibil-
1.D Storage of materials on site ity, etc.)
1.E OSH plan during the execution of con- A4 Person responsible for safety and health protection on site/during the
struction works execution of construction works
1.F Machinery and equipment A5 OSH policy in writing
1.G Construction media A6 Construction site management/construction works management commit-
1.H Transportation works ment in maintaining the OSH level on site/during the execution of works
1.I Earthworks A7 OSH procedures and training programmes on site
1.J Foundation works A8 External communication regarding OSH on site
1.K Concreting and reinforced concreting A9 Internal communication regarding OSH on site
works A10 Documenting of safety and health protection on site/during the execution of
1.L Assembly works works
1.M Finishing works A11 Assessment of occupational risk at workstations on the construction site
The aspect of OSH requirements of work- A12 Supervising the activities which are accompanied by hazards to OSH
ers executing construction works: A13 Prevention of accidents on site
2.N Qualifications of employees A14 Safety of materials
2.O Medical examinations A15 Assessment of subcontractors regarding OSH
2.P OSH training A16 Monitoring OSH on site
2.R Employee’s personal protection equip- A17 OSH audits
ment A18 Prevention and corrective actions regarding hazards to OSH on site
2.S Workstations and work processes; risks at A19 Inspections of occupational safety and healthOSH protection on site
workstations A20 Compliance with OSH regulations on site
2.T Burdensome, harmful and dangerous fac- A21 Coordination of actions in the event of a hazard
tors A22 Compliance with OSH recommendations on site
A23 Changes to information on OSH and the OSH plan, resulting from the
progress of works on site
The aspect of the assessment of actions taken by The aspect of managers’ knowledge of OSH:
construction site management knowledge of hazards and risks occurring at workstations
3.U Assessment of actions taken by construc- B24 Knowledge of hazards and results of risk assessment at workstations on site
tion site management/construction works B25 Knowledge of consequences of the exposure to hazards occurring in the
management work environment on site
B26 The compliance of activities and tasks performed at the workstation on site
with OSH requirements
B27 Corrective and preventive actions taken on site regarding OSH
B28 Accidents at work which occurred on site (types of accidents, number of
the injured, consequences of accidents, etc.)
B29 The causes of accidents at work which occurred on site
B30 Consequences (to the health and life, financial consequences) of failure to
adapt to the site procedures, instructions, regulations, etc
B31 Responsibility for issues related to OSH
B32 Benefits associated with maintaining a proper level of OSH on site
B33 Costs incurred on construction workers’ OSH, e.g., capital expenditures,
costs of training, preventive measures
B34 Adaptation of work conditions on site to legal requirements regarding OSH
B35 Results of site inspections carried out by external institutions, e.g., the
National Labour Inspectorate (PIP), the National Sanitary Inspectorate, the
Office of Technical Inspection, etc.
B36 Results of the assessment of OSH on particular sites
B37 Results of internal audits, inspections of OSH on site, e.g., those carried out
by OSH services
B38 Knowledge of the OSH plan
B39 Other categories of knowledge related to OSH, not included in the ques-
tionnaire
B40 Compliance with OSH requirements

(Continued).
4 J. Obolewicz and A. Dabrowski
˛

Table 1. Continued.

Aspects and issues included in the survey

Operational level Tactical level

Comprehensive assessment of OSH at The aspect of the assessment of the construction site by management
workstations on the construction site
4.W Comprehensive assessment of OSH plan at C41 Assessment of the construction site by construction site manage-
workstations on the construction site ment/construction works management.

Note: OSH = occupational safety and health.

Interviews formed the basis for the analysis of safety Table 2. Location of construction sites at which the
leaders’ perceptions of safety culture in an Australasian research was carried out.
large construction organization. The interviews followed a Voivodeship Construction sites (%)
semi-structured format consisting of open-ended questions
about various aspects of safety culture. The data collected Podlaskie 43.08
from the interview responses helped to design and perform Mazowieckie 4.55
Kujawsko-Pomorskie 0.20
an online questionnaire [13].
Łódzkie 0.40
To ensure that work executed by subcontractors, Lubelskie 0.20
namely small construction companies, is fraught with less Dolnoślaskie
˛ 0.20
risk and does not deteriorate accident statistics, it is neces- Wielkopolskie 0.20
sary to take into account the specifics of the operation of Pomorskie 0.20
Małopolskie 0.40
such companies. There are many opportunities for gradual
Opolskie 0.20
improvement of the unsatisfactory state of safety on con- Warmińsko-Mazurskie 50.40
struction sites. This, however, requires action on the part
of all participants in the construction process, including Note: Voivodeship is the highest-level administrative
general contractors, construction site managers, investors subdivision of Poland, corresponding to a ‘province’ in
many other countries.
and OSH services. Reduction in occupational risk on site
may also be the result of the activities of other institu- Research also shows that further changes in legislation
tions such as corporate training and OSH service providers could also bring an improvement in the existing situation
[14,15]. [16,17].

Figure 2. Quantitative structure of respondents representing the operational level (workers) in terms of the enterprise size.
 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) 5

1.2. Research aims and hypotheses
The aim of the research was to identify the OSH status on
construction sites in Poland for the purposes of diagnosis
of the OSH status in the construction sector [18].
The article presents the results of research on the impact
of construction workers on the OSH status on the construc-
tion site. The research was to provide an answer to the fol-
lowing question: how does construction worker behaviour
affect the level of OSH protection on construction sites?
The qualitative research performed focused on opin-
ions on and attitudes towards the OSH protection on
construction sites, and on the ways they are perceived and
interpreted by, respectively:
• construction site management (tactical level);
• construction workers (operational level).
The research hypothesis was formulated as follows:
OSH in the construction sector is influenced among other
factors by both construction site managers’ and construc-
tion workers’ knowledge of rules and regulations as well
as their behaviour.
2. Research method
The research was carried out among workers and con-
struction site managers on randomly selected constructions
underway in Poland.

Figure 3. Percentage structure of respondents representing the tactical level (management) in terms of the enterprise size.

Figure 4. Age structure of respondents.

Note: N = 506; mean age = 34.21 years; SD = 9.44; range = 19–65.
6 J. Obolewicz and A. Dabrowski
For the research, the data were collected at construc-
tion sites. A site was regarded as an organization com-
posed of people, machinery and materials used to erect a
structure/execute construction works.
The research tool was a widely available survey. Con-
struction workers completed surveys under the supervision
of direct management, while respondents from the con-
struction site management group completed them indepen-
dently in their free time. The research covered respondents
from two construction site management levels, namely the
tactical level (construction site management/construction
Figure 5. Level of education of respondents.
Figure 6. Length of employment of respondents.
˛
works management) and the operational level (construc-
tion workers). The aspects and issues included in the
survey for the operational and tactical level are presented
in Table 1.
3. Range of the research method
3.1. Groups of respondents and their location
The research covered two groups of respondents – workers
on construction sites located in Poland (Table 2), employed
 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) 7

Figure 7. Period of respondents’ work for one employer.

Table 3. Summary of coded answers concerning the issues of the operational level in
particular areas, broken down by size of the enterprise.

Enterprise (number of workers)

Issue* Micro (1–9) Small (10–49) Medium (50–249) Large (≥250) M

1.A 6.48 7.05 8.10 7.42 7.35

1.B 7.00 7.00 8.00 8.00 7.35
1.C 8.25 8.50 9.00 9.00 8.68
1.D 7.93 8.50 9.14 9.07 8.62
1.E 8.18 8.73 9.24 9.38 8.88
1.F 9.38 9.25 9.73 9.93 9.34
1.G 9.26 8.21 8.73 9.53 8.89
1.H 9.33 8.05 8.70 9.19 8.81
1.I 8.38 8.49 9.18 9.46 8.88
1.J 9.29 8.49 9.16 9.46 8.98
1.K 5.67 8.43 9.25 9.61 8.24
1.L 10.00 8.22 9.50 9.66 9.34
1.M 8.71 8.61 8.47 9.41 8.80
2.N 8.98 8.53 9.13 9.23 8.96
2.O 8.28 9.20 9.94 9.92 9.34
2.P 8.36 5.20 9.55 9.53 8.16
2.R 8.24 6.44 9.12 9.26 8.26
2.S 8.35 6.58 9.30 9.29 8.38
2.T 8.05 5.93 9.07 9.26 8.09
3.U 8.51 6.07 9.03 9.44 8.26
4.W 9.85 9.44 9.90 8.43 9.39

*See Table 1 – operational level.

8 J. Obolewicz and A. Dabrowski
˛

in four categories of enterprises: micro, small, medium and
large.
These respondents included:
• 300 construction workers who represented the oper-
ational level of the construction site (Figure 2);
• 50 construction site management staff from the tac-
tical level, including management of contractors and
subcontractors (Figure 3).
3.2. Characteristics of respondents
Based on preliminary research, it was found that the
respondents were employees of construction enterprises
with a diverse age range (Figure 4), mainly with sec-
ondary education (Figure 5). Figures 6 and 7 present length
of employment and period of work for one employer of
respondents.
4. The research using a survey – the course and
results
4.1. Stages of the research
The research was carried out in three stages:
(1) identification of knowledge and legal regulations con-
cerning OSH in the polish construction sector;

Table 4. Summary of coded answers concerning issues at a tactical level in particular

areas, broken down by size of the enterprise.

Enterprise (number of workers)

Issue* Micro (1–9) Small (10–49) Medium (50–249) Large (≥250) M

A1 9.00 8.94 10.00 8.83 9.19

A2 6.50 7.59 6.00 8.42 7.12
A3 6.00 6.13 6.29 8.73 6.78
A4 0.00 7.09 6.00 9.75 5.71
A5 0.00 6.44 6.00 9.58 5.50
A6 7.00 7.41 8.56 8.36 7.83
A7 4.50 6.29 8.14 8.00 6.73
A8 5.00 6.07 7.29 7.55 6.48
A9 0.00 5.69 8.00 7.10 5.19
A10 6.00 6.92 9.20 8.00 7.53
A11 4.00 6.61 8.50 8.55 6.92
A12 6.00 6.61 8.50 8.55 6.92
A13 7.00 5.13 9.33 8.00 7.36
A14 5.00 5.35 6.50 7.90 6.19
A15 8.00 4.75 4.60 7.55 6.23
A16 0.00 6.07 6.63 9.00 5.43
A17 2.00 4.46 7.75 9.00 5.80
A18 3.00 4.17 7.75 8.91 5.96
A19 0.00 6.07 5.63 8.17 4.97
A20 9.00 7.29 6.78 9.00 8.02
A21 0.00 4.60 8.25 8.78 5.41
A22 6.50 6.94 7.44 8.67 7.39
A23 4.00 5.00 7.86 8.42 6.32
B24 4.67 6.79 7.25 8.00 6.68
B25 7.50 7.71 7.50 8.50 7.80
B26 4.00 8.14 7.89 8.17 7.05
B27 6.00 5.67 8.00 8.58 7.06
B28 6.50 6.16 6.00 8.67 6.71
B29 4.50 6.00 6.25 8.56 6.33
B30 6.00 6.31 7.33 7.50 6.78
B31 4.00 6.00 7.50 8.33 6.46
B32 6.50 5.88 7.67 8.50 7.14
B33 7.00 5.94 6.75 7.33 6.76
B34 6.50 5.88 7.44 8.00 6.95
B35 7.00 6.44 8.00 8.00 7.35
B36 6.50 5.25 6.67 7.33 6.44
B27 6.00 5.25 6.75 7.75 6.44
B38 6.00 6.09 8.56 9.42 7.52
B39 0.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 2.50
B40 9.67 5.79 6.38 8.08 7.48
C41 9.67 6.94 7.13 9.17 8.23

*See Table 1 – tactical level.

 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) 9

(2) design of the research tool (survey), performance of
research in construction enterprises and conducting
survey research;
(3) compilation of questionnaire data and analysis of the
research results, and preparation of a model of safety
and health protection management.
4.2. Research results
The research results are presented in two groups:
• construction workers (operational level);
• construction site management/construction works
management (tactical level).

Figure 8. Pareto chart for the operational level (general).

Figure 9. Pareto chart for the operational level (small enterprises).

10 J. Obolewicz and A. Dabrowski
At the operational level, the research covered 300
respondents, and the return rate of completed surveys was
91%. This means that 272 workers employed in construc-
tion companies participated in the research. They princi-
pally represented small companies employing from 10 to
49 workers. Nearly 1/4 of the workers included in the
Figure 10. Pareto chart for the operational level (micro-enterprises).
Figure 11. Pareto chart for the operational level (large enterprises).
˛
research were employed in medium enterprises, i.e., enter-
prises employing between 50 and 249 people, and nearly
20% were workers from large companies with the greater
than or equal to 250 employees. In the research, the small-
est group was workers employed in micro-enterprises with
fewer than 10 employees.
 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) 11

The research participants were employed in enterprises service companies and the remaining 7% were employed
representing a diverse type of business activities. More in production companies.
than half (60%) of respondents were employed in ser- The workers under research represented companies
vice companies, 1/3 of workers represented trade and which varied in terms of legal status. Slightly more than

Figure 12. Pareto chart for the operational level (medium enterprises).

Figure 13. Pareto chart for the tactical level (micro-enterprises).

12 J. Obolewicz and A. Dabrowski
˛

half of the workers (51%) were employed in commercial During the research, issues of importance to safety and
enterprises. Slightly fewer, i.e., 42% of workers, repre- health protection in terms of the frequency of their occur-
sented employers engaged in individual business activity, rence at a particular workstation were assessed. In each
while 7% of respondents worked in civil law companies. area, questions concerning the areas of importance from

Figure 14. Pareto chart for the tactical level (small enterprises).

Figure 15. Pareto chart for the tactical level (medium enterprises).
 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE)
the OSH protection were formulated, and codes of meaning
were assigned to them. Respondents assigned numerical
values 1–10 to their answers, where 1 = low levelof ful-
filment and 10 = high level of fulfilment (the assessment
was based on subjective perceptions of the respondents).
A summary of coded answers (mean values) concern-
ing the issues of particular aspects, broken down by the
size of enterprise in which respondents were employed, is
presented in Table 3.
At the tactical level, 50 respondents, namely represen-
tatives of construction site management, were included in
the research. They were mainly employees of small (43%)
and medium (21%) enterprises engaged principally in ser-
vice functions (50%). The survey focused on the assess-
ment of factors determining the effectiveness and efficiency
of actions taken by construction site management in the
field of safety and health protection, and the assessment
of construction site manager/construction works manager
knowledge of OSH protection.
Similarly to the research at the operational level of the
construction site, in each area of the research at the tactical
level questions concerning the issues of importance from
the OSH protection were formulated, and codes of meaning
were assigned to them. Respondents assigned numerical
values 1–10 to their answers, where 1 = low level of ful-
filment and 10 = high level of fulfilment (the assessment
was based on subjective perceptions of the respondents).
A summary of coded answers (mean values) concern-
ing the issues in particular areas, broken down by the
Figure 16. Pareto chart for the tactical level (large enterprises).
13
size of enterprise in which respondents were employed, is
presented in Table 4.
5. Research results discussion
The analysis of research results employed numerical tax-
onomy methods. To this end, the following terms were
specified:
• objects – elements belonging to the OSH set, inves-
tigated in terms of OSH;
• characteristics – the investigated properties of OSH.
The external image of results of the research on con-
struction workers was numerical values presented in the
form of a layout of data sets. One set consisted of objects
(a set of objects), while the characteristics assigned to these
objects were a set of characteristics.
The results of the discussion were based on the Pareto
principle, which made it possible to identify the key factors
influencing the OSH level. A Pareto chart is a vertical bar
graph in which values are plotted in decreasing order (from
left to right). Pareto charts are very useful for analysing
which problems need attention first, because the taller bars
on the chart clearly illustrate which variables have the
greatest cumulative effect on a given system. The Pareto
chart provides a graphic depiction of the Pareto principle,
a theory maintaining that 80% of the output in a given
situation or system is produced by 20% of the input.
14 J. Obolewicz and A. Dabrowski
A discussion of the results was carried out on two
levels: operational and tactical. In the discussion:
• aggregate areas of the operational level (Table 3) and
the tactical level (Table 4) were compiled;
• these areas were arranged in ascending order by the
values of the characteristics;
• cumulative values were calculated;
• the cumulative values were converted into percent-
ages in the overall value for a characteristic;
• Pareto charts were developed for:
• the operational level, including the overall sit-
uation (Figure 8), small enterprises (Figure 9),
micro-enterprises (Figure 10), large enterprises
(Figure 11) and medium enterprises (Figure 12);
• the tactical level, including micro-enterprises
(Figure 13), small enterprises (Figure 14),
medium enterprises (Figure 15) and large enter-
prises (Figure 16).
At the general operational level (mean values presented
in Table 3), the respondents distinguished the aspects of
preparation and organization of construction, including:
the construction site; sanitary facilities; harmful, burden-
some and dangerous factors; OSH training.
With regards to small enterprises at the operational
level, the respondents indicated the aspects concerning
workers executing construction works in the follow-
ing fields: OSH training; harmful, burdensome and dan-
gerous factors; personal protection equipment; risks at
workstations.
Employees of micro-enterprises at the operational level
highlighted the aspects of safety and health protection
requirements for concreting and reinforced concreting
works, and the aspects concerning the preparation and
organization of construction, including: the construction
site; sanitary facilities; storage of materials; burdensome,
harmful and dangerous factors occurring on the construc-
tion site.
Employees of large enterprises at the operational
level also indicated the aspects of the preparation and
organization of construction, including: the construc-
tion site; sanitary facilities; electrical power equipment
on site.
Employees of medium enterprises at the operational
level drew attention to the aspects of the preparation and
organization of construction, in particular: sanitary facil-
ities; the construction site; OSH concerning construction
works (finishing and transport works).
Employees of micro-enterprises at the tactical level
drew attention to the aspects of effectiveness and efficiency
of actions taken by construction site managers, primarily in
the following areas: responsible person for OSH; the pol-
icy; internal communication; inspection, monitoring and
prevention of hazards to OSH on site.
˛
Employees of small enterprises at the tactical level
highlighted the aspects of effectiveness and efficiency of
actions taken by construction site managers in the fol-
lowing areas: prevention of hazards; audits; coordination
of activities in the field of OSH; assessment of subcon-
tractors; changes to the safety and health protection plan
resulting from the progress of works.
Employees of medium enterprises at the tactical level
indicated other categories of construction site manager
knowledge concerning primarily: coordination of actions
in the event of a hazard; assessment of subcontractors;
OSH inspections on site.
Employees of large enterprises at the tactical level
highlighted the aspects of manager knowledge of OSH –
including those concerning: costs; results of OSH assess-
ment on sites; consequences of failure to meet require-
ments for OSH – as well as the aspects of effectiveness and
efficiency of actions taken by construction site managers
regarding internal communication and the assessment of
subcontractors in terms of OSH.
6. Conclusion
The presented Pareto chart research results are based on
mean values related to respondents’ opinions and their per-
ception and interpretation of OSH. This is an attempt to set
in order these issues and to identify trends in this area. In
the case of repeating these studies, detailed analysis will be
possible, including statistical methods.
The applied research method also has its limitations.
Construction companies employing respondents were
located in north-eastern Poland. Therefore, the research did
not cover the entire country. Moreover, most respondents
were operational-level employees (construction workers).
The application of the numerical taxonomy and the Pareto
principle to analyse the research results allowed the authors
to identify subjective perceptions of employees and man-
agement regarding the important aspects of OSH. How-
ever, opinions of the respondents directly involved in the
construction process may be the basis to point out areas for
improving OSH at both the operational and tactical levels
of the construction site.
At the operational level of the construction site, the fol-
lowing must be done by the construction site management
group in the following order:
• provide workers employed in small enterprises with
OSH training;
• monitor construction works, including concret-
ing and reinforced concreting works executed by
employees of micro-enterprises;
• inspect the construction site for OSH/works exe-
cuted by employees of large enterprises;
• check the sanitary facilities for employees of
medium enterprises.
 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE)
When providing employees of small enterprises with
OSH training, special attention must be paid to compli-
ance with OSH provisions and rules during the execution
of construction works by broadening the general instruc-
tion, periodic training and familiarization with hazards
which may occur during the execution of works. What
is also important is to explain the meaning of harmful,
burdensome and dangerous factors at workstations, when
discussing working and protection clothing, and informing
workers of occupational risks.
During the monitoring of concreting and reinforced
concreting works executed by employees of micro-
enterprises, attention must be paid to the following:
• preparation and organization of works, including
staying within the pump danger zone and the use of
bump rails of truck mixers while pouring concrete
mix;
• the area of execution of works, including the place
for storage of materials, parking spaces for con-
struction equipment and protection of works against
unauthorized persons.
When inspecting the construction site for OSH/works
executed by employees of large enterprises, the following
must be borne in mind:
• preparation and organization of works, including
storage spaces for construction vehicles, pedestrian
traffic and storage of materials;
• sanitary facilities, including sanitary rooms.
While checking sanitary facilities for employees of
medium enterprises, the following are of importance: san-
itary rooms; walkways on the construction site; parking
spaces for construction vehicles; storage of construction
materials.
At the tactical level of the construction site, actions
must be initiated by the construction site management
group in the following order with construction site man-
agers:
• micro-enterprises in the following areas:
• responsible person for safety and health protection
on site;
• safety and health protection policy in writing;
• external OSH communication;
• monitoring, inspections, audits and coordination
of OSH on site;
• occupational risk assessment;
• changes to information on OSH and the OSH plan,
resulting from the progress of works on site;
• small enterprises in the following areas:
• prevention and coordination measures in the event
of a hazard;
• assessment of subcontractors regarding OSH;
15
• changes to information on OSH and the OSH plan,
resulting from the progress of works on site;
• prevention of accidents;
• analysis of results of external inspections, audits
and check-ups regarding OSH;
• safety of construction materials;
• corrective actions and measures preventing haz-
ards;
• external communication;
• medium enterprises in the following areas:
• assessment of subcontractors regarding OSH;
• OSH inspections on site;
• specified safety and health protection policy and
aims, and plans for achieving them;
• safety of construction materials;
• monitoring OSH on site;
• large enterprises in the following areas:
• external OSH communication on site;
• costs of OSH on site;
• results of the assessment of OSH on particular
sites;
• consequences to health and life, resulting from
hazards;
• results of audits and internal inspections;
• safety of construction materials;
• OSH procedures and training programmes on site.
The research results show that both construction site
managers’ and construction workers’ knowledge of rules
and regulations as well as their behaviour affects OSH
significantly in small, medium and large enterprises.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This article is based on the results of a research task carried
out within the scope of: 1) research project No. N N115347038.
Identification of the state of safety and health protection in Pol-
ish construction enterprises after entering the EU and design of
OSH management model complying with environmental protec-
tion, ergonomics and labour protection European quality criteria.
Bialystok University of Technology. Bialystok, 2014; and 2)
the second stage of the National Programme “Improvement of
safety and working conditions” partly supported in 2011–2013
— within the scope of state services — by the Ministry of Labour
and Social Policy. The Central Institute for Labour Protection
- National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB) was the Programme’s
main co-ordinator.
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