Factor Analysis of Risk Variables Affecting Occupational Injuries: A Field Study in Construction Projects

Approximately, half of the occupational accidents are associated with the construction industry in Iran. Therefore, the factor analysis of risk variables affecting occupational injuries in the construction industry can lead to understanding and reducing the rate of injuries in these projects. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors affecting the types of injuries in construction projects based on factor analysis. This field study was conducted on 65 active construction projects. The collected data included 55 injuries that were analyzed in SPSS software (Version 22.0) based on exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The most frequent type of injuries regarding the order were spinal cord injury (41.2%), cuts (32.4%), organ failure (17.6%), and multiple scars (8.8%). Based on exploratory factor analysis, 26 indicator variables were classified in six groups of latent factors, including individual, occupational, unsafe conditions, unsafe acts, the type of injury incidence, and the type of injury. The findings of the confirmatory factor analysis of latent factors showed a significant correlation within these factors (P<0.05). The goodness of fitness of the model was evaluated as good (RMSEA=0.663). The findings of the present study indicated that the incidence of injuries in construction projects can be due to the interaction between different factors and indicator variables. In addition, the results of factor analysis in this study indicated a difference between the effect of each of the indicator variables and latent factors.