A 2026 study conducted by Eko Budi Utomo, Budi Witjaksana, and Jaka Purnama from the Master’s Program in Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya, found that internal coordination failures were the most dominant occupational safety and health (OHS) risk in the construction of the New Classroom Building (RKB) at MIN 5 Tulungagung, East Java.
Published in the Formosa Journal of Science and Technology (FJST), the research demonstrates that construction risks extend beyond workplace accidents and can directly affect project completion time, operational efficiency, and overall project performance.
The findings are particularly relevant as Indonesia continues expanding educational infrastructure while facing persistent occupational safety challenges in the construction sector.
Construction Safety Is Becoming a Strategic Issue
Educational building projects are often perceived as relatively routine compared with large industrial or infrastructure developments. Yet, according to the researchers, school construction projects can contain complex safety challenges.
The MIN 5 Tulungagung project was selected because of its distinctive environment. The construction site was located adjacent to residential areas and supported by limited road access, creating additional exposure not only for workers but also for surrounding communities and road users.
These local conditions reflect a broader national concern. Workplace accident figures in Indonesia remain high, especially in construction-related activities where multiple variables interact simultaneously including labor, equipment, weather conditions, logistics, and site management.
The researchers argue that construction safety management should no longer be treated as a compliance requirement alone, but as a project performance strategy.
Looking Beyond Protective Equipment
Rather than focusing exclusively on visible hazards, the study examined how different risk sources interact and influence project implementation.
The research combined field observation, structured questionnaires, interviews, and document review. Data were collected from 15 respondents directly involved in the project, including site engineers, site managers, occupational safety officers, contractors, field supervisors, and consultants.
To organize the assessment, the researchers used a structured risk-mapping approach that grouped potential risks into five categories:
- Environmental factors
- Human factors
- Equipment-related factors
- Work method factors
- Management and organizational factors
Respondents evaluated both the likelihood of each risk occurring and its expected impact on project execution and safety outcomes.
The analysis also incorporated expert assessment to estimate how identified risks could influence project implementation time.
Communication Failure Becomes the Highest-Ranked Risk
The study identified 20 occupational safety and health risk factors across the construction process.
Unexpectedly, the most dominant risk was not technical failure or equipment malfunction.
The highest-ranked risk was:
- Lack of internal communication and coordination among project parties — risk score: 12.240 (high risk)
- Other major risks included:
- Extreme weather affecting construction activities 11.778 (high risk)
- Dust exposure generated by construction work 10.444 (high risk)
- Insufficient worker skills 10.427 (high risk)
- Failure to use personal protective equipment (PPE) 9.747 (moderate risk)
No risks reached the “very high” category. Nevertheless, researchers emphasized that all dominant risks require active mitigation because of their combined influence on worker safety and project continuity.
The findings suggest that project communication systems may deserve the same level of attention as technical planning and field supervision.
Delays Are Not Always Caused by Engineering Problems
The study also explored how safety-related risks influence project schedules.
Using expert judgement from project stakeholders, researchers estimated that extreme weather represented the largest potential delay factor, capable of extending construction by approximately 1–7 days.
Several other risks including coordination failures, worker skill gaps, dust exposure, unsafe temporary electrical systems, and labor discipline issues—were estimated to contribute delays ranging from 1–3 days.
These results indicate that project delays often emerge from interconnected operational and organizational issues rather than engineering complexity alone.
According to an ethical paraphrase of the authors’ conclusions, Eko Budi Utomo and colleagues from Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya argue that systematic OHS risk management should function simultaneously as a safety mechanism and a project delivery strategy capable of protecting timelines and improving construction performance.
Practical Lessons for Future Construction Projects
The study offers practical recommendations that can be applied across educational and public construction projects.
Recommended actions include:
- strengthening internal coordination among project stakeholders;
- adapting work schedules to weather conditions;
- reducing dust through active site management;
- improving worker capability through technical briefings;
- enforcing PPE compliance;
- conducting routine toolbox meetings;
- strengthening field supervision; and
- implementing continuous evaluation of safety procedures.
For projects located near residential communities, these measures may help reduce both occupational hazards and disruption to surrounding areas.
More broadly, the findings reinforce the idea that successful construction projects depend not only on engineering quality, but also on communication quality.
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