Determination of Direct to Indirect Accident Cost Ratio for Railway Construction Project

Abstract

Construction industry involves dangerous activities which few are exposed to a high risk of being fatal, injuries and damages to machinery and property. The construction of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) have no exception to those accidents. The accident can bring economic burden to project stakeholders especially contractors and client. However, the accident cost is relatively complicated because of its “hidden” or “invisible” portion. Thus, this paper is aimed to determine the ratio of direct to indirect accident cost for railway construction projects. The study was conducted using self-administered questionnaire distributed to safety practitioners (n=11) at MRT and LRT construction projects. A total of 36 out of 43 reportable accident cases successfully collected for the study and were analysed with simple descriptive statistics. The findings show that the accident cost ratio for fatality is 1:1.22, permanent disability is 1:1.94, and temporary disability is 1:1.19. The overall accident ratio for all accident classifications is 1:1.23. The findings of the current study may impact future safety cost estimation process in determining the hidden accident costs for railway construction projects.