Application of the safe working cycle (swc) in hong kong construction industry: literature review and future research agenda

Abstract

The accident rate of the Hong Kong construction industry is very high when compared with other developed countries. Since 1990, the industry has introduced different safety initiatives to minimize the occurrence of site accidents, and there has exhibited a significant decrease in accident rate over the years. The Safe Working Cycle (SWC) is one of the effective safety measures aiming to ensure a tidy working site and raise the safety awareness of construction workers everyday. It comprises the Daily Cycle, Weekly Cycle and Monthly Cycle, and it focuses on the causes of construction accidents and improves the overall safety performance on construction sites. This paper will provide a concise introduction of a research project in relation to SWC in the Hong Kong construction industry. It aims to scrutinize the overall research paradigm of a holistic study on the historical development, underlying concepts and applications of SWC in Hong Kong. The investigation will be accomplished by a combination of data collection methods comprised of archival desktop study, in-depth interviews, detailed case studies and an empirical questionnaire survey. Relevant attributes of SWC including the perceived benefits, potential difficulties and effective recommendations for future implementation will be explored and discussed herein. The research findings are expected to help the decision-makers to generate clearer insights into the effectiveness of SWC in improving site safety, and to allow industrial practitioners to explore whether and how the site accidents can be mitigated via SWC.