Michael Behm

Identification of Safety Risks for High-Performance Sustainable Construction Projects

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC)-sponsored Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program represents the largest program in the United States for the measurement, verification, and certification of green buildings. A recent study found that LEED-certified buildings have accounted for a higher injury rate than comparative traditional non-LEED buildings. This finding served as the impetus for the present study, which aimed to identify and evaluate the safety and health risks associated with the design elements and construction management practices implemented to achieve LEED certification. To explore this topic, six detailed case studies and two validation case studies were conducted following a strict protocol developed from guiding literature. The results indicate that (1) workers on LEED construction projects are exposed to work at height, with electrical current, near unstable soils, and near heavy equip- ment for a greater period of time than workers on traditional projects; (2) workers are exposed to new high-risk tasks such as constructing atria, installing green roofs, and installing photovoltaic (PV) panels; and (3) some credits result in a positive impact on construction worker safety and health when low volatile organic compound (VOC) adhesives and sealants are specified. It is expected that these results can be used by practitioners to focus attention and resources on new highrisk work environments. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000446.

Application of the Loughborough Construction Accident Causation model: a framework for organizational learning

In order for the construction industry to improve its poor safety performance it needs to learn from its safety mistakes and put the lessons learned to good use. Incident investigation theories and techniques vary widely in the peer-reviewed literature. The Loughborough Construction Accident Causation (ConAC) model was applied to State Department of Transportation construction accidents, and is proposed as a tool to facilitate organizational learning in the construction industry. Details of the methodology utilized are described so that it can be duplicated in research and in practice. By investigating 27 DOT construction incidents, the research demonstrates how the model can be used both in research and in practice. The model yielded 6.63 causes/factors/influences identified per incident, and correlated the causes to determine relationships. Incident causality is complex and multi-faceted. The Loughborough model facilitates a holistic view of incident causality and thus organizational learning.

Construction accident causality: learning from different countries and differing consequences

Fundamental questions remain about the practical value and generalizability of accident causation frameworks for explaining construction accidents. Relevant causality literature is reviewed; three research projects compared and implications of accident causation theories for accident investigation and analysis discussed, particularly for accidents with differing consequences and in different national contexts. The effectiveness of the UK accident causality framework ConAC (Construction Accident Causality) in identifying occupational accident causes in different industry contexts (Australia and the USA) is evaluated; and the implications of the choice of theoretical framework in the analysis of construction accident causation considered. The ConAC framework was developed from a real-time analysis of 100 relatively minor construction accidents. The Australian study used this framework to analyse the National Coroners reports of 258 construction fatalities and the USA study used it to develop research instruments for interviews regarding 27 construction accidents of varying consequences. The results suggest that the ConAC framework is helpful for the analysis of the causes of accidents with outcomes of differing severity. The studies also suggest that it has international applicability despite differing occupational health and safety legislative contexts and industrial arrangements. Furthermore, significant learning can be obtained from considering underlying causes of accidents.

Safe Design Suggestions for Vegetated Roofs

Extracted text; Rooftop vegetation is becoming increasingly popular because of its environmental benefits and its ability to earn green-building certification credits. With the exception of one international guideline, there is little mention of worker safety and health in vegetated-roof codes and literature. Observations and field investigations of 19 vegetated roofs in the United States revealed unsafe access for workers and equipment, a lack of fall-protection measures, and other site-specific hazards. Design for safety strategies and the integration of life-cycle safety thinking with green-building credits systems are the preferred methods to reduce risk to workers on vegetated roofs. Design suggestions have been developed to add to the body of knowledge. The findings complement several National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) construction and prevention through design (PtD) goals and are congruent with NIOSH’s Safe Green Jobs initiative. Organizations that install and maintain vegetated roofs can utilize the findings to understand hazards, take precautions, and incorporate safety into their bids The published version of this article is available here: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000500

Role of Safety Training: Impact on Hazard Recognition and Safety Risk Perception

AbstractHazard recognition and the accurate perception of safety risk are fundamental to the success of any safety program. When hazards remain unrecognized, or the associated safety risk is underestimated, the likelihood of catastrophic and unexpected injuries dramatically increase. Unfortunately, recent research has found that a large number of hazards in construction remain unrecognized. Likewise, past studies have demonstrated that safety risk is widely underestimated within construction. To improve hazard recognition and the accurate perception of safety risk, employers adopt a wide variety of training programs. However, the prevalent use of ineffective and unengaging training methods have significantly impeded training efforts in construction. The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of safety training on two objective training outcomes: hazard recognition performance and safety risk perception. The research objectives were accomplished by gathering empirical data from 51 active project...

Safe design of skyrise greenery in Singapore

Purpose – Singapore is transforming from a “garden city” to a “city‐in‐a‐garden”. Designing for safety is recognized by researchers and some governments as a best practice in facilitating eventual worker safety within the built environment. The purpose of undertaking this research was to understand and describe the status of safe design for skyrise greenery in Singapore.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 41 rooftop and vertical greenery systems were observed with a focus on access, fall from height, and planting considerations.Findings – Rooftop greenery systems in Singapore were found to be adhering to safe design principles. Vertical and ledge greenery systems, on the other hand, are newer arrangements and were found to be in need of design for safety guidance.Originality/value – The results add to the body of knowledge in the area of safe design and skyrise greenery and will aid those seeking to understand from a policy and practice perspective.

Engineering Mandates Stipulated in OSHA Regulations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards relate to the safety of the construction site, the implementation of safe work practices, and the safety of temporary structures, such as fall protection, ladders, scaffolding, and excavations, all of which are typically part of the constructor’s responsibility on a project. The engineer’s scope of work, namely the design of the permanent structure, is not directly addressed in the OSHA standards. Nonetheless, engineers are required to be involved, as stipulated in some regulations. This paper describes a study involving the identification of those OSHA regulations that address the role of the engineer in ensuring a safe construction project. OSHA regulations that incorporate reference to engineers and those that could be fulfilled through design modifications were found through an electronic search of the OSHA regulations. This search identified those provisions that require the involvement of a licensed professional engineer. These provisions were then categorized to understand where an engineer’s input is specifically required. As part of the review of the OSHA regulations, each provision was also examined from the viewpoint of how the design of the permanent structure could be modified to eliminate specific hazards and thereby avoid the need to address certain safety measures on-site. A list of design modifications was then created by which an engineer could assist the constructor in maintaining a safe construction site. If such recommendations were to be followed, construction safety truly would have its beginning in the design phase.

Safe Design: A Source for Innovation in the Built Environment

AbstractFor the safe design concept to take hold within the design community, the negative connotations of safety within the design world must be removed. Considering safety during the design phase...