The construction industry in Korea records the highest rate of industrial accidents among all sectors. One of the primary causes is the dual safety management system governed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the Construction Techno...
The construction industry in Korea records the highest rate of industrial accidents among all sectors. One of the primary causes is the dual safety management system governed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the Construction Technology Promotion Act (CTPA), which creates administrative inefficiency and ambiguity of responsibility on construction sites. Different job titles and overlapping duties assigned to site supervisors have fragmented field safety management and limited their effective engagement in preventive activities.
This study aims to enhance on-site safety efficiency by integrating the job titles and duties of construction supervisors and empirically verifying the effects of such integration on safety performance. The research collected and compared legal duties defined under both OSHA and CTPA, conducted a field survey of 134 safety and health managers, and held a Focus Group Interview (FGI) with 10 senior safety experts, including certified construction safety engineers and industrial safety consultants. Based on these results, a unified Safety Supervisor Model was developed, comprising four major duty categories — Thorough Inspection, Leadership by Example, Compliance with Procedures, and Prompt Reporting — and sixteen detailed sub-duties.
The model reflects the PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act) framework of ISO 45001 and translates legal obligations into a behavior-based, action-oriented structure suitable for field execution.
Empirical analysis was conducted using six-month data from 57 construction sites before and after the introduction of the new system. Results showed that the average monthly number of accidents decreased significantly (t(5)=3.74, p=0.013), with a large effect size (Cohen’s d=1.52). Inspection data also revealed that negligence-related findings decreased by 24.1%, while system- and documentation-related findings increased by 67%, indicating a qualitative shift from fault-based inspection to system-based evaluation. These results demonstrate that integrating job titles and duties improved not only administrative efficiency but also the quality of safety management through enhanced accountability and awareness among supervisors.
The findings confirm that the unification of the “Safety Supervisor” title and duties clarified responsibility, strengthened self-regulatory safety practices, and fostered a more mature safety culture within the organization. Theoretically, the study bridges institutional reform with Heinrich’s Accident Triangle, the Placebo Effect, and Reason’s Organizational Accident Theory, offering a structural explanation of how systemic and psychological mechanisms collectively influence safety outcomes.
In conclusion, the integration of job titles and duties is not merely an administrative adjustment but a substantive reform that enhances both the effectiveness of safety management systems and the autonomy of field supervisors. The empirical evidence presented in this study provides a practical foundation for future policy discussions on harmonizing OSHA and CTPA regulations and for advancing an integrated, field-oriented safety governance model in the construction industry.