A Framework Supporting Health and Safety Practices in the United Arab Emirates’ Construction Projects

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This is an interesting paper for a subject that has been attracting the attention of researchers lately, and the is the Health and Safety Standards in the UAE. The paper is well written and could benefit from the following amendments;

1. Add a couple of lines at the end of the introduction section to state what the paper is setout to do.

2. The title of section 2 should change to reflect the content of that section, rather than merely calling it 'literature review'. This will add purpose to the section.

3. Section 2.1 ends with (Eyiah, Kheni, and Quartey, 20190). Please check referencing style, so that it reads Eyiah and Kheni et al, 2019. At the end of that section, it is also important to reflect on the added value of that section to the rest of the paper.

4. Although is is purely an exploratory study, the underpinning  theory is not clear. As such, it is not clear at the end of the literature what are the the themes of the study that will inform the methodology and how such themes have been derived from other studies.  

5. The sampling strategy is not clear. Figure 1 and 2 are tables and not figures. Plus, the 1st table is not numbered. Also, how did the researchers arrive at the data in table 1?

6. Line 180 mentions; using the framework, as indicated above, the following themes and sub-themes were developed. This table arrives without clear methodological steps. In fact the entire methodology section is missing. What questions were asked? How the interviews were conducted? What ethical consideration were in place, how the data were coded etc..., what is the profile of participants etc...

6.In interviewees identify is coded in the analysis, but their profile is missing. 

7. The results require validating/triangulating given that the recommendations are based on limited views. 

Author Response

As attached file

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Title

The use of the word sustainable in the title is not justified. Revise the title or see my below suggestion:

“A framework supporting Health and Safety Practices in the United Arab Emirates’ Construction Projects”

Frame work or Framework?

Abstract

Make sure to present the aim of this study clearly. Also, the aim presented in the abstract should be the same as in the introduction section to keep consistency.

 Introduction

It is important to clearly present the aim of the study in the introduction part. The readers should understand the right thread. As mentioned, to keep the consistency of the paper, it is good to have the same purpose (wording) in both the abstract and introduction section

 A suggestion is to reorganise the introduction chapter.

Present the background of the study, and problems, discuss similar studies and narrow it down to the research gap. Finally, state the purpose of your study.

 Theoretical review

The literature review presents different findings from other studies. However, I could not see any frameworks that are connected to your study. Is there any framework proposed yet on the HSE? It is important to discuss the previously proposed framework and present the drawbacks.

 A short summary (separate paragraph) of what you have learned from the literature review could be included in the final part of the theoretical review to narrow down the scope of this study, presents the research gaps and connect to the next chapter.

 Methodology

Justification and more information should be provided about data collection. You mentioned 63 interviews were performed only in the abstract. More details are required in this chapter as the results are based on a multiple-case study.

Motivate how you designed the interviews. What kind of interview was it? Who are the participants and what’s their role etc?

Add references if you used any theory

159- “construction firms were purposely selected from three Emirates”

What were the criteria for the company selection? Please justify this

Findings and Analysis

180- “Using framework analysis, as indicated above, the following themes and sub-themes were developed” – Make clear how you came up with these themes. Was it from the data analysis or used any other materials?

 Discussion & Conclusion

It seems like a short discussion and conclusion. Some parts could be moved to the discussion part from the previous chapter. This is just a suggestion.

 How this framework can be implemented? Applicable to all construction companies in the UAE? Are there any limitations in using the framework? Discussion around the proposed framework is missing.  

 Motivate why this study differs from others existing studies and results. Discuss your contributions and who is benefiting from these results.

 Any contributions to the theory? Discuss it with previous literature. If not, mention it in the limitation.

Discuss the validity and reliability of this study

If you are combining the discussion and conclusion chapter, summarize your overall findings in a small paragraph by presenting the key takeaways from your paper and future directions in the concluding statement.

Author Response

As attached file

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The changes have been addressed.