Safety Situation and Analysis of Safety Measures for Electric Railway Construction Sites: Case Study of a Suburban Red Line Project, Bang Sue-Rangsit Section

Abstract

Proceeding from the policy of developing and promoting international railway networks with neighborhood countries has been an expansion of the national railway system. This expansion has necessitated the establishment of many railway route construction projects. In this circumstance, the construction workforce is critical to the success of these necessary projects. However, it is vital for the effectiveness of the projects’ workforce to ensure a safe environment and mitigate risks related to the construction process during the projects. Therefore, this study focused on an investigation of project construction safety in various situations, related analysis of safety measures, and construction risk mitigation of a specific metro train route construction project, the Red Line Bang Sue-Rangsit segment, Bangkok, Thailand. Near miss incidents were a significant part of our investigation. The study collected data from 108 samples and found that there were 200 cases of near miss incidents. The case subjects for the study were divided into 6 groups, which were: 1) personnel working at heights, 2) railway installation workers, 3) crane and forklift operators, 4) heavy machinery and transportation operators, 5) personnel working in obstructed areas, and 6) Other non-specific categories of railway construction workers. Following the group identification of railway safety work categories, risk assessment and evaluation of safety measures were performed. The research determined that the group of workers with the highest risk were the personnel working at heights, especially at the Bang Sue Grand Station construction site. After reviewing the near miss incidents, it was observed that the primary causal factor involved was human behavior at the worksite. The significant contributing factors were the safety conditions in the workplace environment and the safety of standard operating procedures. Safety and Risk mitigating factors were experience, training, and clear understanding of the safety procedures and enforced worksite safety policies/rules.