Development of an integrated safety, health and environmental management capability maturity model for Ghanaian construction companies

With high rates of accidents, injuries, illnesses, negative environmental impacts and other well-being issues still recorded in the construction sector, as well its social and economic impacts, the need for safety health and environmental (SHE) improvement has become critical. Management systems, particularly environmental management systems (EMS) and safety management systems (SHMS), have been identified as innovative and systematic approaches for companies to manage SHE risks effectively in order to improve their SHE performance. However, the adoption and implementation of EMS and SHMS in the construction sector, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, has been slow and generally low, mainly due to cost and the bureaucracy that comes with the parallel implementation of standalone management systems. There is, therefore, a need for an integrated SHE management framework for effective SHE risks management and control in the construction sector. However, there is no single integrated SHE management framework for construction organisations to use, especially those within developing countries. Neither is there any mechanism by which construction companies can ascertain their capability in implementing integrated SHE management in order to guide efforts to improve their SHE performance. This research was undertaken to develop an integrated SHE management capability maturity model (SHEM-CMM) that can be used by construction firms in the Ghanaian construction industry. To achieve the aim of the study, a quantitative research approach was adopted. It involved a comprehensive literature review to generate potential capability attributes relevant to integrated SHE management. Following the literature review, a survey of experienced SHE experts was undertaken in order to verify the suitability of the identified integrated SHE management capability attributes. Subsequently, a three-round Delphi technique was undertaken with experienced SHE management experts (round 1 n=41, round 2 n=31 and round 3 n=30) and accompanied by the application of voting analytical hierarchy process, to ascertain the relative weight/priority of the capability attributes. This study found 20 integrated SHE management capability attributes which are clustered into five categories, namely: strategy; process; people; resources; and information. Collectively, the attributes within the ‘strategy’ category are the most important, followed by the ‘people’ and then ‘process’ attributes. Drawing on the capability maturity concept, an integrated SHE management capability maturity model (SHEM-CMM) was developed. The model is composed of 20 integrated SHE management capability attributes which are mapped on to five levels of capability maturity ranging from Level 1 to Level 5, and with each level having a distinct maturity level descriptor. The integrated SHEM-CMM was then validated by 59 construction professionals including SHE experts in construction companies operating in the Ghanaian construction industry in order to ensure the adequacy and practical usefulness of the model. This research has contributed to the existing body of knowledge on SHE management by establishing integrated SHE management capability attributes and their relative weight of importance. Furthermore, the research has developed a novel integrated SHEM-CMM which has practical usefulness in the construction industry. The model provides a systematic approach for SHE management capability evaluation and improvement in construction. It is anticipated that the developed capability maturity model would be used by construction firms to systematically assess their SHE management capability and identify ways to further improve their SHE management in order to obtain better SHE performance outcomes.