Safety Resilience Assessment in Civil Construction Projects Based on Combined Empowerment and Extension Cloud Model

The aim of this work is to introduce resilience theory for improving the safety and stability of civil construction projects and raising the level of construction safety control. This study explores resilience theory applied to the field of construction safety, and defines its concept. Based on the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) model, an assessment index system for safety resilience in civil construction projects is systematically devised. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method is employed to derive the independent weights of the construction safety resilience indexes, while the Decision-Making and Trial Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method quantifies the correlation weights. Subsequently, game theory is used to combine the independent and correlation weights into a composite weight, which can solve the problem of relying on subjective judgment or empirical assignment by experts. Moreover, based on the extension cloud model, a safety resilience assessment methodology for civil construction projects is proposed. Compared with the traditional assessment methods, the extension cloud model is able to quantify the uncertainty and ambiguity in the assessment process and characterize the degree and distribution of uncertainty through the concept of cloud, which solves the limitations in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty. A railway infrastructure project in China, which was in execution from 2018 to 2022, is used as an example to apply this assessment methodology. The results show that the safety resilience assessment method in civil construction projects based on combined empowerment and extension cloud model is scientific and effective. The method can help project managers accurately identify potential safety risks and weaknesses and provide targeted improvement suggestions for safety management, so as to effectively enhance the overall safety management effectiveness.