Mitigating construction safety risks using prevention through design

• Published in: Journal of safety research 2010-04, Vol.41 (2), p.107-122
• Main Authors: Gangolells, Marta, Casals, Miquel, Forcada, Núria, Roca, Xavier, Fuertes, Alba
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents, Occupational - prevention & control; Building; Comparative analysis; Construcció; Construction accidents & safety; Construction companies; Construction Hazards Prevention through Design; Construction process; Design; Design engineering; Designers; Disseny; Edificació; Environment Design; Facility Design and Construction; Health and safety management; Humans; Industry; Mesures de seguretat; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Occupational Exposure - prevention & control; Risk assessment; Risk Assessment - methods; Risk management; Safety management; Safety Management - methods; Safety measures; Seguretat en la construcció; Àrees temàtiques de la UPC
• ISSN: 0022-4375; 1879-1247
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2009.10.007

Research and practice have demonstrated that decisions made prior to work at construction sites can influence construction worker safety. However, it has also been argued that most architects and design engineers possess neither the knowledge of construction safety nor the knowledge of construction processes necessary to effectively perform Construction Hazards Prevention through Design (CHPtD). This paper introduces a quantitative methodology that supports designers by providing a way to evaluate the safety-related performance of residential construction designs using a risk analysis–based approach. The methodology compares the overall safety risk level of various construction designs and ranks the significance of the various safety risks of each of these designs. The methodology also compares the absolute importance of a particular safety risk in various construction designs. Because the methodology identifies the relevance of each safety risk at a particular site prior to the construction stage, significant risks are highlighted in advance. Thus, a range of measures for mitigating safety risks can then be implemented during on-site construction. The methodology is specially worthwhile for designers, who can compare construction techniques and systems during the design phase and determine the corresponding level of safety risk without their creative talents being restricted. By using this methodology, construction companies can improve their on-site safety performance.