Improving construction safety performance through error management : a literature review

Human error is identified as a root cause of accidents in construction environments. Prevention of human errors is regarded as a key strategy to prevent accidents on construction site. However, as human errors cannot be completely eliminated, error management needs to be implemented to respond to the error and its consequences after an error has occurred on construction sites. The aim of this paper is to present a literature review of research on error management in the workplace environment, identify knowledge gaps, and suggest recommendations for future research. We reviewed the definitions of errors and the related concepts such as unsafe behaviors, violations, failure, incidents, accidents, error management. We also reviewed the strategies and principles of error management and error prevention. The results of review show that error management is an effective way to improve safety performance of construction work. It also provides a new approach for further research on the development of practical safety management for construction organizations.