Controlling accidents and insurers' risks in construction : a fuzzy knowledge-based approach / Imriyas Kamardeen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kamardeen, Imriyas.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Construction industry--Insurance.

Construction industry.

Construction industry--Risk management.

Construction industry--Accidents.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (231 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Nova Science Publishers, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

There has been a greater concern globally as to how to minimise construction accidents and their consequences on construction workers, contractors, clients, design and project management consultants, and insurance companies. This book introduces new strategies and models that will facilitate readers in the construction and insurance industries in revamping their existing practices towards minimising accidents, improving profitability, and alleviating liabilities. This is a research-based book and chapters in the book are grounded on recent research and best practices. They demonstrate how innovative insurance and construction companies can exploit contemporary research to drive the re-structuring of poor practices that compromise their business sustainability. With diverse audiences in mind, the chapters are written in clear and easy-to-follow styles. The CD enclosed with the book contains the prototype of the KBS that the book discusses. Readers will appreciate this useful appendix of the book that underpins the practical implementation of new theories.

Contents:

Intro

CONTROLLING ACCIDENTSAND INSURERS' RISKSIN CONSTRUCTION: A FUZZYKNOWLEDGE-BASED APPROACH

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

The Global Trend of OHSin the Construction Industry

The Drive towards Re-engineering Workers'Compensation Insurancefor Improving Safety in Construction

Leveraging by IT

Focus of the Book

Structure of the Book

Workers' CompensationInsurance in Construction

Origin of Workers' Compensation System

Workers' Compensation System

Costs Recovered under the Workers' Compensation System

1. Medical Expenses

2. Temporary Incapacity

3. Permanent Incapacity

4. Dependants Death Benefits

5. Compensation for Occupational Diseases

Workers' Compensation Insurance (WCI)

Premium Rating Methods for WCI

Experience Modification Rating (EMR) Approachfor Premium Rating

Manual Rate

Payroll Unit

Experience Modification Rate (EMR)

Example of WCI Premium Calculation

Computing the EMR

Computing the WCI Premium

Shortcomings of the EMR Approach

Ad-hoc Methods for Premium Rating

Drawbacks of the System

Conclusion

Critical Factors for Premium Ratingof Workers' Compensation Insurancein Construction

Premium Rating Variables for Construction WCI

Predicting Future Claims in Construction WCI

Determining the Mark-up for Construction WCI

Research Methodology

Profile of Respondents

Data Analysis and Discussion

Important Variables for Premium Rating

Wage Roll

Project Hazard Level

Effectiveness of the Safety Management System on Site

Contractor's Claims History

Competition

Corporate Objectives of the Insurer

Overhead Costs of Insurance

Investment Income from Underwritten Premiums

Less Important Variables for Premium Rating.

Profit/loss Experience in WCI Business

Reinsurance Cost

Amount of Outstanding Claims to the Insurer

Project Duration

Placement of Multiple Policies by the Contractor

Cooperation by the Contractor

Volume of Business in the Market

Unimportant Variables for Premium Rating

Expectation of Potential Business from the Contractor

Contractor's Size

Summary of Survey Findings

Risk Control Strategies for Insurance Companies

Health insurance

Motor Insurance

No Claims Discount (NCD)

Incentive for Clean Driving Records

Loyalty Rebate

Insights for Construction WCI

Assessing Hazards and Safetyin Building Construction Projects

Nature of Occupational Injuries in Construction

Estimating Accident Risks in Construction

Hazards in Building Construction Projects

Demolition Hazards

Excavation Hazards

Scaffolding and Ladder Hazards

False Work Hazards

Roof Work Hazards

Hazards in Erecting Structural Frameworks

Crane Hazards

Construction Machinery and Tools Hazards

Hazards on Contaminated Sites

Welding and Cutting Work Hazards

Hazards in Confined Spaces

Assessing Hazard Intensity in Building Projects

Safety Performance MeasurementMethod for WCI

Essentials of Project Safety Systems

Safety Performance Assessment Protocol

New Premium Rating Modelfor Workers' Compensation Insurancein Building Construction

Proposed Model for WCI Premium Ratingof Building Construction Projects

Computing the Risk Fee

1. Wage Roll

2. Project Hazard Index (PHI)

3. Project Safety Index (PSI)

Computing the Mark-up

Computing the CCIContractor and the SMDClient

Advantages of the Proposed New Model

Fuzzy Inference SystemDevelopment Methodologies

Classical Set Theory.

Limitations of Classical Set Theory

Fuzzy Sets

Fuzzy Membership Functions

Types of Membership Functions

Basic Operations of Fuzzy Sets

Linguistic Variables

Fuzzy Logic and Approximate Reasoning

Fuzzy Inference Systems

Fuzzy Inference Systems Development Cycle

Defining System Functional and Operational Characteristics

Case Example

Defining Fuzzy Sets for System Variables

Case Example (Cont'd)

Defining the Fuzzy Rule Base

IRC Approach

URC Approach

Defining Inference and Defuzzification Methods

System Coding

System Tuning and Verification

Fuzzy Knowledge Based SystemModelling for WCI Premium Rating

Fuzzy KBS Architecture for WCI Premium Rating

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

System Database

Intermediate Processing Unit (IPU)

Fuzzy Inference Engine and Fuzzy Knowledge Base

Knowledge Acquisition and Representation

Past Claims Data Analysis

Designing the Fuzzy Risk Rate Model

Interview Survey and Analysis

1. Overhead Costs of Insurance

2. Investment Income from Underwritten Premiums

3. Competition

4. Corporate Objectives of the Insurer

5. Contractor's Claims History

Designing the Fuzzy Mark-up Model

Inference Mechanism in the Fuzzy KBS

Computing PHI

Computing PSI

Computing PSOscore

Computing RAMscore

Computing SWPscore

Computing STCscore

Computing SIscore

Computing SMTscore

Computing SMscore

Computing EMscore

Fuzzy Inference for Risk Rate and Mark-up

Making the Prototype of the Fuzzy KBS

Developing the IPU and the System Database

Developing the Fuzzy Inference Subsystem

Defining the Fuzzy Inference Subsystem

Membership Functions Development

Rule Base Development

Developing the GUI

Verification of the Fuzzy KBS

Turing Test for the Fuzzy KBS.

Workflow Model for the Fuzzy KBS

Concluding Notes

Summary

Research Findings

Comparison of Research Findingswith the Previous Technique

Practical Implications for Industries

Implications for the Construction Industry

Implications for the Insurance Industry

Implications for others

Bottleneck for Implementation

Knowledge Contributions

Future Directions

Appendix 1: Survey Kit

Appendix 1.1: Interview QuestionnaireSurvey Form

Factors Influencing Workers' Compensation Insurance Premiumsfor Building Construction Projects

General Information

A. Respondent's Particulars

B. Workers' Compensation Insurance Premium Decisions for BuildingConstruction Projects

B.1. Project Factors

B.2. Contractor Factors

B.3. Insurer Factors

B.4. Market Factors

Appendix 1.2: Interview Guideline

Mark-up Determination for Construction WCI

B. Interview Questions

Appendix 2: WCIXpert User Manual

Installing WCIXpert

Installation Method

Getting Started with WCIXpert

Creating a New Project File

Hazard Rating of Building Construction Projects

Hazard Assignment

Project Hazard Rating

Safety Rating of Building Construction Projects

Inference of Risk Rate and Mark-up

Underwriting a New WCI Policy

Claims Management

Producing CCI Contractor and SMD Client Details

References

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-61324-299-9

OCLC:

730502321