Reduced accidents in the aviation industry can help the construction industry

The construction industry is one of the most accident-prone industries in Sweden, while the aviation industry has succeeded in greatly reducing the number of accidents in recent decades. In a new research project in Human work science at Luleå University of Technology, the researchers will compare the construction industry's accident investigation methodology with that of the aviation industry.

Over the years, the construction industry has been successful in reducing the number of accidents. Unfortunately, the positive trend has slowed down in recent years. The number of serious accidents is still at an unacceptably high level. In some years, the number of fatal accidents is almost in double figures. The aviation industry has previously had a high number of both deaths and accidents, but in recent decades there has been a positive trend where both deaths and accidents are at a very low level.

Obliged to investigate

When an accident occurs at a workplace, the employer is obliged to investigate what caused the accident. Exactly how the investigation is carried out differs between different industries.

- By comparing the construction industry's investigation methodology with that of the aviation industry, we hope to be able to contribute knowledge about how to reduce the number of accidents in the construction industry, says Maria Johansson, associate senior lecturer in Human work science and project manager.

The project includes a group of researchers from occupational science who have collaborated with each other in other projects related to work environment and safety. Two experts from the aviation industry are also associated with the project, who will train the researchers in the aviation industry's investigative methodology.

Three construction companies are studied

In a first phase, interviews are carried out with key persons and relevant documents at industry and authority level are being analysed. In phase two, three case studies are made with three construction companies to get a picture of how accidents are investigated there. The case studies consist, among other things, of interviews with the people concerned, workshops, participant observations and analyses of relevant documents at company level. In the next phase, the collected material is analysed in collaboration with the two experts from the aviation industry.

The research group includes, in addition to Maria Johansson, Jan Johansson, Leif Berglund, Magnus Stenberg, Magnus Nygren and Björn Samuelson. The two external experts are Agne Widholm and Sven E Hammarberg, both of whom have many years of experience in national and international investigations, for example at the The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority, the Swedish Armed Forces and the UN.

The project has been granted funding of SEK 4,098,000 from Afa Försäkring and will last until June 2026.