Critical safety factors influencing on the safety performance of construction projects in Mongolia

Systematic management of safety factors can improve project performance in terms of schedule and cost effectiveness as well as lead to a significant reduction of safety hazards. The purpose of this study is to determine critical safety factors focusing on the construction environments of a developing country, the Mongolia. Through extensive literature review, the authors selected prospective safety factors considering specific construction project environments of Mongolia. Rankings and significance of each safety factor are determined by the Relative Importance Index (RII) and t-test is applied to examine statistical differences among factor category groups. RII analysis indicates the failure of wearing personal protective equipment is the most critical factor among 58 factors. Meanwhile, adopting factor analysis methodology, 13 critical safety factor groups are identified and the most influential one is the regulatory group. In addition, comparative analysis between results of this study and those of previous studies is conducted. Findings of this study may contribute to the improvement of construction safety performance especially for those countries with similar construction environments as Mongolia. Analysis results and implications obtained suggest project managers or safety officials should devote more careful attention to critical safety factors and factor groups in safety planning and during project implementation stages.