Determining Key Factors of Success in HSE performance of electric power distribution companies operational contractors based on BROWN theory framework and using DEMATEL method

Since most activities of power distribution companies, especially their operational processes, have become contract-based, it is necessary to improve HSE performance of contractors considering the factors affecting their performance. Since the HSE system is a large, interactive, dynamic, and open system, many factors affect HSE performance of contractors, which require a lot of resources and time that are not available to contractors, and the employer in order to focus and invest on upgrading them all. In various studies of HSE performance and evaluation, these factors have been identified and introduced by the researchers in line with the field of study, but many these factors make it difficult for managers to focus on and invest in promoting them to achieve the most efficient and effective results due to limit time and resources, as existing research lacks a scientific and systematic way to identify key success factors in HSE performance. Hence, this paper raises a critical question around enhancing the HSE operational contractors’ performance of power distribution companies by categorizing the complex factors affecting their performance into prioritized groups to improve the efficient and effective performance of HSE.

In this study, factors and sub-factors affecting the HSE performance of contractors were extracted from combination of previous studies, and a survey among experts based on BROWN theory framework. But considering high number of these factors, and the necessity for deeper focus on management, and also the importance of optimal usage of resources with a priority to improve, then it was managed to apply DEMATEL method to determine the cause-and-effect relationships between the sub-factors with each other and to determine which sub-factors are key factors of success for improving the HSE performance of contractors. Sub-factors of key success are sub-factors that have a significant impact on the whole system and their improvement can significantly improve the performance of the HSE, so, it is clear that they should be given more attention. To do this study, first extracted the identified factors in the relevant literature and listed them as a guide with a questionnaire to suggest factors affecting the HSE operational contractors’ performance of power distribution companies was given to a group of experts. In this study, contractorschr('39') HSE performance was considered as a system in accordance with BROWN theory framework and Experts were asked to submit their proposed factors in the framework of the above. After agreeing and finalizing the factors, experts were again asked to participate in suggesting and determining the sub-factors related to each factor. In this step, content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) were used to determine content validity of identified factors and sub-factors. Then, to determine the cause-and-effect relationships between the sub-factors and finally the factors, DEMATEL method was used. Using this approach we were able to aggregate group knowledge, form a structural model, and then plot the causal relationship between the sub-factors through a cause-effect relationship diagram. DEMATEL outputs provide information on the impact each sub-factors has on the overall HSE performance of contractors. Through structural model analysis and discussion, we can discover which sub-factors are of fundamental importance to the whole system, and which are not. And as a result, the most influential causal sub-factors on the system are key success factors. The data obtained in this study were analyzed and processed using DEMATEL, SPSS and Excel software.

In this study, after a survey among expert groups and determining the validity of 20 factors and 51 sub-factors affecting the operational contractors’ HSE performance of power distribution companies based on BROWN theory framework in three sections, including input, process and output, it was found out that after analyzing the results of DEMATEL, 19 sub-factors including 15 causal sub-factors and 4 ordinary sub-factors were identified as sub-factors of key success, which based on the analysis of the distribution of key success sub-factors, 37% of which are in the input section, 53% are in the process section and 10% are in the output section of the HSE system. In the present study, the factor of HSE expert in the contracting company was identified as the most influential factor in contractor HSE performance, and among the key success factors.

In this study, 19 out of the total 51 identified sub-factors that affect HSE performance of contractors were identified as key success sub-factors by the proposed method that managers and decision-makers can focus on in order of priority to improve the HSE system using limited resources, systematically and effectively. Anyway, about 86% of the identified sub-factors in the input and process sections of the Brown Theory Framework indicate that the output sub-factors or the results of the contractorchr('39')s HSE system were largely dependent on prospective and action-oriented factors and improving the HSE performance of a contractor without these important dimensions of the HSE system would be extremely difficult and almost impossible. On the other hand, the high percentage of key success factors in the process section indicates that improving the HSE performance of the contractor is largely dependent on the proper performance of the contractor in the sector and this has a significant role in the HSE system and its performance improvement. Given that 13 factors, or about 68% of the key success factors identified in this study, are directly related to management, it should be noted that the major impacts on the HSE system and its significant improvement in performance are largely dependent on the management of the contracting organization or company. In this study, applying the Brown Performance Framework has led to a comprehensive and systematic identification of the factors affecting the performance of each dimension of the HSE system, while the Applying this framework enables analyzing the distribution of key success factors in the contractor HSE system and highlights the importance of each dimension of the contractor HSE system in this regard in addition, it indicates to managers what phases of this framework and to what extent and quality they anticipate and focus their preventive and corrective actions.