Application of the Loughborough Construction Accident Causation model: a framework for organizational learning

Abstract

In order for the construction industry to improve its poor safety performance it needs to learn from its safety mistakes and put the lessons learned to good use. Incident investigation theories and techniques vary widely in the peer-reviewed literature. The Loughborough Construction Accident Causation (ConAC) model was applied to State Department of Transportation construction accidents, and is proposed as a tool to facilitate organizational learning in the construction industry. Details of the methodology utilized are described so that it can be duplicated in research and in practice. By investigating 27 DOT construction incidents, the research demonstrates how the model can be used both in research and in practice. The model yielded 6.63 causes/factors/influences identified per incident, and correlated the causes to determine relationships. Incident causality is complex and multi-faceted. The Loughborough model facilitates a holistic view of incident causality and thus organizational learning.

Keywords:

• Accident
• organizational learning
• safety

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.