【正文】 ? reluctant to input of resources to safety。 ? lack of training。 ? top management has a perfunctory attitude towards safety management as revealed from their seldom attendance to safety meetings。 however, it is believed that the figures show only the tip of an iceberg with a large number of unreported fatalities and accidents (Table 5). The safety management in most Chinese construction firms is of grave concern as shown by the finding that: ? most contractors do not have a proper documented safety management system laid down clearly in the safety manuals。 and the others (11%) rarely provided any training. In the construction industry, construction workers have high mobility and they switch from one pany to another frequently. The transient nature of the construction workforce makes it difficult to train workers. The lack of effective labor training is a major concern in safety management. Fig. 3. Personal protective equipment provided by contractors . Impact of site accidents The questionnaire asked what the most significant impact of site accidents on construction firms was. The possible answers were increase in cost, interrupted construction schedule, impairing reputation of firms, imposing psychological burden on workers, and others. Fig. 4 shows the results. Fig. 4 shows that 68% of the respondents considered impairing reputation of firms as the most serious impact of site accidents. Interrupted construction schedule increase in cost and imposing psychological burden on workers were indicated by 15%, 12% and 5% of the respondents respectively. That means the respondents were in general more concerned about the public view and image, rather than the internal distress of time, cost and labor. . Perceived probability of serious accidents on sites Construction sites exhibit unique hazardous characteristics。 and ? government support. Sixty pleted questionnaires have been received, a response rate of 30%, an average response rate for the construction industry as construction firms are normally found not helpful in pleting questionnaires. In addition, interviews were conducted with government officials of the construction departments in charge of construction safety, focusing on safety policies and procedures issued by the government, safety standards, and factors affecting safety on construction sites. In the survey, all the 200 construction firms are ISO 9000 certified, representing a better picture of safety management than in the average pany as described above. Among the 60 responded, they fall into two categories of ownership: 52 stateowned (87%) and eight publiclisted sharingholding enterprises (13%). Out of all the responding firms, 52 firms (87%) employ over 1001 people, four firms (%) between 501 and 1000, and four firms (%) below 500. 5. Results and discussion . Safety manual and procedures The purpose of the safety manual is to municate a firm_s safety policy, identify the safety factors, define responsibility and control the safety management system. As the backbone of the management system, the manual defines the safety procedures and instructions and identifies the specific requirements. The respondents were asked whether they have a safety manual and safety procedures. 62% of the respondents claimed that they did not have documented safety manuals, while 38% had. With respect to the safety procedure, all the respondents said that they had documented procedures for safety management on construction sites, which formed part of the procedural process control (Clause ) of ISO 9000: 1994. However, the majority of the respondents (92%) claimed that not every worker knew the procedure. That means they had a quality management system, which included and defined a safety procedure but not a structured safety management system supported with a safety manual. . Provision of personal protection equipment The status of the provision of personal protection equipment (PPE) for workers is illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows that the most mon PPE provided are gloves, hard hats and eye goggles. However, many workers consider that hard hats are not convenient for their operations. . Safety meeting and training Regular safety meetings are necessary for municating safety information to all parties. 36% of the respondents claimed that they had regular safety meetings, and the others indicated that safety issues were discussed and presented at other meetings, such as construction planning meetings. However 87% argued that the top management seldom attended the safety meetings. The respondents were asked whether they had provided safety training for the firstline workers. 24% of the respondents claimed the provision of systematic training。 ? impact of site accidents on panies。 wherever the site exceeds 50,000 m2, the main contractor has to establish a safety management team. . Construction project supervisors’ inspection on safety Since 1989 China has begun adopting the Construction Supervision Scheme_. One of the projectsupervisor engineer_s responsibilities is to monitor construction safety. Since the issuance of the Regulation on Construction Project Supervision in 1996, the construction supervision scheme has been extensively practiced in China. According to the system, the role of the supervisors is to enhance construction supervision by introducing checks and control at various construction stages on behalf of the clients. Under clause 32 of the current Construction Law issued in 1997, the supervisors_ duties are to ensure construction works in pliance with the construction regulations, to supervise execution of the work, to monitor construction safety, to prepare supervision plans and to notify the government in the case of any violation of the relevant statutory legislations. . Types of ownership of construction firms In Chi