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International Journal of Global Sustainability
ISSN 1937-7924
2021, Vol. 5, No. 1
26
Safety Management in Sustainable Construction
Projects: A Conceptual Framework
Afaf Hassan
Dept. of Environmental Health and Safety, Abu Dhabi University
PO Box 5911, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Tel: 971-2501-5555 E-mail: afaf.hassan@adu.ac.ae
Received: August 2, 2021 Accepted: September 30, 2021 Published: October 3, 2021
doi:10.5296/ijgs.v5i1.19061 URL: https://doi.org/10.5296/ijgs.v5i1.19061
Abstract
Safety management can be utilized effectively in sustainable construction projects, to produce
safe sustainable construction projects. This highlights the necessity to gain a better
understanding about safety management components with a view to pinpointing existing and
future research issues to be addressed. Thus, this systematic review aims to demonstrate a
knowledge base for safety management research grounded on the safety management
components, and the integration of those components into sustainable construction projects,
to produce safe sustainable construction projects. To achieve this, thirty-four peer-reviewed
articles were classified into two categories. The first category is about safety management in
typical construction projects, and the second category is about safety management in
sustainable construction projects. Similar research in the last two decades points out the
challenges associated with safety management in sustainable construction projects and the
need to understand the associated safety management components that can lead to safer
suitable construction projects. In addition, the synthesis suggests the need for a conceptual
framework that explains the process of utilizing safety management components in
sustainable construction projects to attain the desired safety outcomes in sustainable
construction projects. Accordingly, this article provides a conceptual framework that
integrates safety management components of traditional construction projects into sustainable
construction projects, to achieve safe sustainable construction projects.
Keywords: Safety management, Sustainable development, Construction projects
1. Introduction
‘‘Construction is one of the most hazardous industries due to its dynamic, temporary, and
decentralized nature’’ (Li et al., 2015, p.107). Construction projects’ considerable risks for the
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society, economy, and the environment have been well recognized ever since construction
projects were initiated (Grote, 2012; Lee & Son, 2021). In line with this argument, Loushine
et al. (2006) have pointed out that construction has always been considered a dangerous work
environment. Construction projects also have their problems and risks, especially the
complicated structure, volume, and mechanism, which critically enhance the structural design
as well as site and construction technologies (Li et al., 2021). At the same time, the
construction period of complicated or large construction projects is long, the working
environment is tough, and a large amount of workload and working procedures could produce
safety hazards (Li et al., 2021; Lee & Son, 2021). Yet, the fatal accident rate in construction
projects tends to be more than that of any other industry (Park & Hyeon-Jin, 2013). In turn,
this created a need to mitigate these risks to achieve safe construction projects (Grote, 2012).
El-Sayegh et al. (2018) defined sustainable construction projects as any projects that cover a
sustainable: design, construction, and operation. They also added that sustainable
construction is about producing green building projects in which attaining sustainability is
one of the main targets. Later, Udomsap and Hallinger (2020) described sustainable
construction projects as any construction projects that create and operate a healthy build
environment through utilizing ecological principles and natural resources’ efficiency.
Whereas Zhang et al. (2020) clarified that the concept of sustainable construction is driven by
sustainability science that aims to produce a green environment, to maintain and enhance
human development as well as survival. Hence, sustainable construction projects are directed
towards maximizing the use of renewable resources, minimizing the production of pollutants,
and mitigating any harmful impacts that could influence human health (Gunduz & Almuajebh,
2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). In other words, sustainable construction
adopts and applies sustainability ideas to direct the construction and operation tasks during
the whole life cycle of a typical construction project (Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Udomsap &
Hallinger, 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). However, like the traditional construction projects,
sustainable construction projects range from medium to large and vary depending on the
complexity, size, and duration of such projects (Gharehbaghi & McManus, 2003; Heravi &
Faeghi, 2014; Lee & Son, 2021). This implies that achieving efficient safety management in
such projects is not only challenging but also very complicated (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020;
Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). Consequently, a
higher level of safety management would be required in such projects (Wu et al., 2017). In
support, Okoye and Okolie (2013) mentioned that safe sustainable construction could only be
attained through education and training, attitudinal change, beliefs, management commitment,
perceptional change, and workers involvement (Liwång, 2020; Okoye, 2010; Tahmasebinia et
al., 2020). Safe sustainable construction practices also require adequate consideration of the
economic, social environmental, and political imperatives (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020;
Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Liwång, 2020; Wu et al., 2017). In other
words, safe sustainable construction projects adopt more than just the traditional process of
constructing structures and buildings sustainably, yet it should cover means that both the
process and products become seen with sustainable backward and forward linkages (Gunduz
& Almuajebh, 2020; Liwång, 2020; Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020).
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Considering the arguments about the effectiveness of safety management in sustainable
construction projects (Grote, 2012; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Loushine et al., 2006;
Marhavilas et al., 2018; Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Zacchei & Molina, 2020), the question on
how to apply safety management components of tradition construction projects in sustainable
construction project gains increased importance. The reason is that the relevant research in
the last two decades has substantially discussed successful safety management in traditional
construction projects (Kim et al., 2020; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Lee & Son, 2021; Li et
al., 2015; Liwång, 2020), but did not address, efficiently, the issue of safety management in
sustainable construction projects (Li et al., 2021; Loushine et al., 2006; Marhavilas et al.,
2018; Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Robichaud & Anantatmula, 2011; Zacchei & Molina, 2020)
Therefore, this research will fill this gap by constructing a conceptual framework that aims to
integrate safety management in sustainable construction projects, to produce safe sustainable
construction projects. In particular, this systematic review will investigate the essential safety
management components that are needed to produce safe sustainable construction projects,
and illustrate the research outcome in an effective conceptual framework.
2. Method
This research adopted the systematic review approach established by Petticrew and Roberts
(2006). Mainly, the review relied on peer-reviewed literature published in international
scientific journals. The key terms, such as safety management and sustainable construction,
were used to find the relevant articles from Google Scholar. The searches in Google Scholar
database yielded a total of forty peer-reviewed articles. These articles were screened by the
author. To specify the analysis, the inclusion criteria were focused on articles discussing
safety management in both traditional and sustainable construction projects.
Accordingly, the author read the abstracts of each article thoroughly and, if the paper is
closely related to the topic of the research, the author continued reading the methodology and
conclusions to assure that the article fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Articles that were found to
be irrelevant were filtered and removed. Furthermore, the systematic review checklist
established by Moher et al. (2009) was used. This checklist includes four main criteria that
are identifying, screening, assuring eligibility, and deciding articles to be included (Moher et
al., 2009). Hence, the author initially identified the forty related articles through manual
search using Google Scholar. Then, some articles were excluded after closely checking the
content and finding it to be irrelevant. The remaining full-text articles were assessed for
eligibility. This reduced the sample of studies from forty to thirty-four journal articles.
These thirty-four peer-reviewed articles were also used to establish the conceptual framework
of this study. The framework integrated the information, arguments, and findings of these
articles to create a new integrative framework that covers five main stages that are (1) safety
management components, (2) safety management input, (3) sustainable construction projects’
surrounding factors, (4) safety management output, and (5) safe sustainable construction
projects, respectively. Ultimately, the valuable knowledge and information obtained from
these articles had been used to satisfy the main purpose of this research, which is introducing
an effective framework to adopt and implement effective safety management in sustainable
construction projects, to achieve safe sustainable construction projects.
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3. Literature Review
3.1 Safety Management in Construction Projects
3.1.1 Safety Management
Safety management has been defined as a promotion of good safety performance and safety
culture (Grote, 2012). It has also been recognized as the use safety components to manage
safety policy; safety resources and responsibilities; risk identification and mitigation;
standards and procedures; human factors-based system design; safety training; safety
performance monitoring; incident reporting and investigation; auditing; continuous
improvement; and change (Grote, 2012; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Lee & Son, 2021).
These components should not only be seen as general standards but also be included in any
safety management system (Grote, 2012). At a later stage, safety management has been
promoted as effective safety behaviors and practices (Okoye & Okolie, 2013). In other words,
the safety management process must be well planned to enable construction site managers as
well as workforces to not only identify and identify safety risks but also communicate
effectively with each other during the construction processes (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021;
Lee & Son, 2021; Park & Hyeon-Jin, 2013). Moreover, Yiu et al. (2018) have identified
safety management to be the management of all functions associated with carrying on
activities relates to the safety of personnel including organizing, planning, developing, and
implementing safety policy. They have also added that the efficiency of safety management
can be measured using regular audits and reviews of performance.
3.1.2 Safety Management in Construction Projects
In traditional construction sites, safety has required more hours of staff time than in any other
setting (Kim et al., 2020; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Lee & Son, 2021; Li et al., 2015;
Liwång, 2020). The reason is that workers are likely to keep moving from one place to
another to complete their work on construction sites, and thus it could be difficult to identify
and track the possible hazards as well as the likelihood of their occurrence (Kim et al., 2020;
Li et al., 2015; Lee & Son, 2021; Liwång, 2020). It is also essential to recognize that each
construction site has its accident rate (Yiu et al., 2018). In turn, this raises the importance of
safety on such sites, to protect involved individuals from harm, or at least, reduce the rate of
accidents linked to construction projects. In this concern, it has been argued that most of the
accidents on construction sites could have been minimized and prevented with the adoption
of consistent and adequate safety management: process, plan, education, training, and
inspection (Kim et al., 2020; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Liwång, 2020; Park & Hyeon-Jin,
2013). This drives the attention to the concept of safety management, as effective safety
management reduces the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of any non-planned events
or incidents, which could cause harm to project team members (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021;
Lee & Son, 2021; Liwång, 2020; Loushine et al., 2006).
The right process and methods should be followed to conduct effective safety management in
construction projects (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Liwång, 2020). Prior research has limited
safety management in construction to be about planning, education, and inspection phases
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(Kim et al., 2020; Park & Hyeon-Jin, 2013). Later, critical issues have been considered in
safety management such as the identification of activity-specific safety risks and how each
one of them could be delivered; and the other one is effective communication with the
workers at the construction site (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Lee & Son, 2021; Liwång,
2020; Park & Hyeon-Jin, 2013). Li et al. (2015) have suggested that new methods have been
initiated and implemented to improve safety management in construction projects, which
include hazard identification, safety training, and safety data recording. Li et al. (2015) have
also added that nine factors could impact safety management at construction sites, which are
safety management, perceived risk, working environment, productivity pressure, self-efficacy,
self-esteem, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) use, training and exchange, and safety
attitude. This indicates that a well-trained safety management staff, could reduce the
overhead of safety management and greatly enhance safety management effectiveness (Kim
et al., 2020; Li et al., 2015). This was supported by the argument of Ladewski and Al-Bayati
(2019), who has emphasized that safety management methods could take two directions. First,
managing safety through concentrating on meeting local and international technical and
training standards to avoid enforcement actions and penalties. Second, managing safety
through self-correction could be achieved either through identifying and reporting hazards or
through corrective actions to unsafe behaviors (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Ladewski &
Al-Bayati, 2019; Lee & Son, 2021; Liwång, 2020). Ultimately, Yiu et al. (2018) have
mentioned that safety audits and reviews are common safety assessment tools, that could lead
to a positive outcome in construction projects.
3.2 Sustainable Construction Projects
3.2.1 Sustainable Construction
Like sustainable development projects, ‘‘Sustainable construction therefore is the
construction that tows the principles of sustainable development’’ (Okoye & Okolie, 2013,
p.78). Other scholars have also emphasized that sustainable construction entails three key
dimensions that are economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection, and as a
reflection, these issues are related to sustainable development (Mensah et al., 2018; Okoye &
Okolie, 2013; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020). In support, Wu et al. (2017) have pointed out
that sustainable construction has been recognized as the construction activities that meet the
demands of sustainable development. They have also added that it could be described as an
attempt to ensure social health and economic development at the same time as reducing any
possible negative impacts of construction on the environment (Wu et al., 2017; Tahmasebinia
et al., 2020). These arguments indicate that sustainable construction is an essential part of
sustainable development. Over time, sustainability has referred to ‘‘people-centered
development and ending poverty and distributional equity as key objectives; structural
transformation of national economies and reforms in global economic governance to create
an enabling environment for development’’ (Fukuda-Parr & Muchhala, 2020, p.104706).
However, in this study, sustainable construction is operationalized as the implementation of
sustainable development principles to construction projects through safety management
(Mensah et al., 2018). This indicates the importance of studying safety management in
sustainable construction projects.
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Sustainable construction has considerable benefits on the environment, society, and economy
(Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020) An
adequate sustainable construction leads to successful sustainable development (Okoye &
Okolie, 2013). The reason is that sustainable construction is considered a driver to all facets
of sustainable development processes (Okoye & Okolie, 2013). Sustainable construction
tends to create and operate a healthy built environment based on resource proficiency and
environmental design with a focus on seven principles for a safer construction that is
protecting nature, eliminating toxins, applying life cycle costing, reducing resource
consumption, reusing resources, using recyclable resources, and concentrating on quality
(Robichaud & Anantatmula, 2011). Another positive outcome of sustainable construction is
collaborating effectively to complete all tasks and activities successfully (Wu et al., 2017).
This could be achieved through strengthening resource integration capability and building
effective communication mechanisms (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al.,
2020; Wu et al., 2017). This highlights the prominence of awareness, knowledge, demand,
commitment, implementation, and communication among project team members as well as
management (Wu et al., 2017). Recently, sustainable construction has been focused on
reducing the consumption of natural resources (e.g., electricity and water) and emphasizing
the use of recycled and preferably non-toxic raw materials (Afanasyeva et al., 2020).
3.2.2 Sustainable Construction Projects
Sustainable construction projects have not received considerable attention; thus, it might not
be easy to find a precise definition that explains it accurately in terms of the possible changes
and associated hazards (Ciegis et al., 2011, Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al.,
2020). Likewise, the practical aspects of sustainable construction in recent projects have not
been actively adopted nor implemented (Afanasyeva et al., 2020). In clarification, sustainable
construction projects could be completed successfully, only if there is an improvement in
three main pillars of sustainability that are economic, social, and environmental (Ciegis et al.,
2011; Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). In this regard, Sachs (2012) have
stated that although sustainable construction projects are designed to combine environmental
protection, economic development, and social inclusion, the definitions of sustainable
construction projects will differ, as the specific objectives are different worldwide, not only
between societies but also within them (Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger,
2020; Zhang et al., 20200. On the other hand, most of the definitions emphasize the existence
of a relationship between construction and sustainability (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020;
Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). In justification, Sustainable development
projects are projects that are designed to expand the opportunity of existing generations to
satisfy their needs without compromising the capability of future generations to satisfy their
needs as well (Remington-Doucette & Musgrove, 2015). Sustainable construction projects
also stand for projects that meet the present needs without limiting the possibility of meeting
the future needs (Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2017). Besides, many other scholars
have agreed that sustainable construction projects are sustainability project have common
goals that are protecting the environment, maintaining social equity, and improving the
economy (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020). Researchers have also
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highlighted that sustainable construction projects are any projects that respond to current and
future problems such as climate change, desertification, pandemics, and poverty, that are
commonly featuring high degrees of uncertainty, complexity urgency, and damage potential
(Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020; Wiek et al., 2011; Zhang et al.,
2020). Lately, Secundo et al. (2020) have stated that sustainable development projects are
projects that cover a wide range of social, environmental, and economic issues, entailing
energy, biodiversity, gender, equality, climate change, peace, security, food supply, economic
growth, healthcare, education, sustainable consumption, and sustainable production. They
have elaborated that the main goal of sustainable development projects is to find out efficient
solutions for new challenges such as climate change, food security, ecosystem resilience,
energy, pollution, migration, and many other matters that demand a cross-disciplinary
standpoint (Secundo et al., 2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020;
Zhang et al., 2020). Considering the above argument, this study defines sustainable
construction projects as any projects that complete construction activities with full respect to
the main pillar of sustainability that are environmental protection, economic growth, and
social equity (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020).
Furthermore, sustainable construction projects have recently experienced significant growth
(Robichaud & Anantatmula, 2011). The reason is that the public is becoming aware of the
benefits of such projects for the economy, society, and the environment (Robichaud &
Anantatmula, 2011). In other words, sustainable construction has a major role to play in terms
of the sustainable development of various societies (Okoye & Okolie, 2013). However, in
comparison with traditional construction projects, sustainable construction projects demand a
higher level of collaboration amongst project team members and management (Gunduz &
Almuajebh, 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020; Wu et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2020).
Individuals working in the construction field intend to maintain mutual collaboration in a way
that reduces associated risk, restricts costs, and increases benefits (Ginevičius et al., 2011).
The reason is that designs, systems, and technologies associated with sustainable construction
are usually found to be complex and not straightforward to work with (Wu et al., 2017). This
drives project team members and management of such projects to pursue an effective
sustainable construction with ethical motives and willingness to attain a high level of
professionalism (Wu et al., 2017). That is why, encouraging and attaining the adoption and
implementation of sustainable construction projects is the main concern of several recent
studies (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020;
Wu et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2020).
Nevertheless, some factors critically influence sustainable construction projects (Gunduz &
Almuajebh, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). In this concern, Robichaud
and Anantatmula (2011) have summarized some factors that impact sustainable construction
projects such as the increase: energy prices, costs of construction materials, and regulatory
incentives, which are pushing the interest in sustainable construction projects to grow and
expand. Okoye and Okolie (2013) have mentioned that the social aspects of suitable
construction projects are concerned about the moral, legal, and ethical obligations of
sustainable construction projects to their stakeholders. They have also elaborated that socially
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sustainable construction cannot be achieved without an adequate corresponding behavior and
attitudinal change towards safety in construction projects. The reason is that, for sustainable
construction that is socially efficient, health and safety should always be at the forefront
(Okoye & Okolie, 2013). On top of this, the social aspect of sustainable construction entails
workers’ health and safety; quality of life and benefits to the disadvantaged groups; and
impacts on local communities (Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020). This
creates an effective involvement of societies that facilitates the needed improvements to take
place (Boyd & Bentley, 2012). In other words, the social aspects of sustainable construction
projects are considered as a compilation of efforts and actions to enhance development,
which does not deplete the stock of human and social resources but rather encourages and
contributes to the advancement of their potentials (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Okoye &
Okolie, 2013; Zhang et al., 2020). This means that sustainable construction could be
enhanced through motivating project teams and improving their social skills (Hewage et al.,
2011). From an economical point of view, Robichaud and Anantatmula (2011) have argued
that competent project management could help in delivering sustainable construction projects
within acceptable cost constraints (Robichaud & Anantatmula, 2011). Other scholars have
supported both the social and economic aspects that impact sustainable construction projects,
as such projects embrace sustainable design, community development in addition to the
health, safety, and welfare of workers in the project (Afanasyeva et al., 2020; Mensah et al.,
2018; Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). It is also
important to recognize that many barriers, to the achievement of safety management in
sustainable construction, continue to exist due to cost constraints (Robichaud & Anantatmula,
2011). As a result, better employment opportunities would be available for society and, in
turn, more economic growth (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020;
Zhang et al., 2020). This implies that economic growth is the main concern of sustainable
construction projects. In addition, Li et al. (2021) have argued that some factors affect
sustainable construction projects, which are the long project period, harsh environment,
complex process, and the dynamism of the large work. This points out that the importance of
protecting the environment from the start-up to the completion of any sustainable
construction project.
3.3 Safety Management in Sustainable Construction Projects
In the face of the numerous recent safety challenges and the widely spread unsustainable
safety management, safe sustainable construction projects are highly demanded (Kukoyi &
Adebowale, 2021; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Zacchei & Molina, 2020).
In justification, safety management for sustainable construction projects involves people,
objects, construction environment, and numerous safety management processes (Kukoyi &
Adebowale, 2021; Li et al., 2021; Liwång, 2020). This does not only increase the likelihood
of safety incidents occurring but also the need for efficient safety management in construction
projects. In support, Grote (2012) has mentioned that is important to understand that
sustainable construction projects could have relatively large potential for major accidents, or
minor occupational accidents depending on the type and size of a project. Also, the increasing
complexity of sustainable construction projects makes the traditional construction safety
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management tools inefficient (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Li et al., 2021; Liwång, 2020;
Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). On the other side, the rising awareness of
sustainable construction’s ability to positively impact environmental issues is increasing the
need for adequate safety management to the forefront (Robichaud & Anantatmula, 2011;
Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). These facts have created a need for
modern safety management that helps in completing sustainable construction projects without,
or with fewer, safety incidents (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Li et al., 2021; Liwång, 2020;
Zacchei & Molina, 2020).
Adopting and implementing adequate safety management is crucial for sustainable
development projects. In justification, successful safety management leads to better
sustainable construction environmental qualities; a greater degree of housekeeping; better
employee selection procedures; more frequent use of lead workers performing training; and a
stable workforce (Loushine et al., 2006; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020).
Loushine et al. (2006) have added that advances in safety and health management research
have introduced new perceptions in safety management that include, but are not limited to, a
safe climate, behavioral safety, safety culture, and human error theory. This drives the
attention that the main safety management outcomes to be reduced injury and fatality
incidence rates; reduced costs associated with injuries/fatalities; and reduced workers’
compensation insurance premiums. The ‘human element’, or in other words the society,
should always be addressed when discussing safety management in sustainable construction
projects (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Liwång, 2020; Loushine et al., 2006; Zacchei &
Molina, 2020). In addition, Okoye and Okolie (2013) have found out that efficient safety
management utilizes an effective management commitment to construction safety concerns.
This implies that effective safety management, in sustainable construction projects, is
relatively linked to the management level. The reason is that if the sustainable construction
personnel couldn’t be successfully educated, guided, and managed, safety incidents could
easily be induced (Li et al., 2021; Liwång, 2020; Marhavilas et al., 2018). However, with the
progress of the social economy, the social infrastructure sustainable construction has achieved
observable growth, particularly the appearance of numerous types of sustainable construction
projects, which requires the safety management level to be improved, to ensure the safety and
reliability of sustainable construction projects (Li et al., 2021; Liwång, 2020; Marhavilas et
al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020).
To understand safety management in sustainable construction projects, it is essential to study
the main risk factors and problems in such projects (Li et al., 2021; Zacchei & Molina, 2020).
In their conceptual framework, Loushine et al. (2006) have found out that the main safety
management elements in sustainable construction projects are management commitment;
employee involvement; hazard identification and control; training and education; accident
investigation; and housekeeping effort. Grote (2012) has highlighted three attributes that
affect the various ways safety management should be designed, run, and evaluated. These
attributes are the type of safety, the method used to manage associated uncertainty, and the
existing safety regulations. Recently, risk factors could include project complexity, human,
material, and environmental factors (Li et al., 2021; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei &
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Molina, 2020). In explanation, the complexity of the project engineering, poor safety
management, and unreliable safety management techniques could easily cause accidents in
sustainable construction projects (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Li et al., 2021; Liwång, 2020).
Human factors include safety accidents or other dangers resulted from non-standard
operations that could be performed by some construction personnel (Li et al., 2021;
Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). Material factor, similar to typical
construction, the sustainable construction materials cover construction tools, building
materials, and engineering equipment and machinery. The destructive properties of these
substances lay the material premise of the accident. If such materials are not used in a
standard way, they could be very dangerous and easily course accidents (Li et al., 2021;
Liwång, 2020; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). Environment factors of sustainable construction
projects involve natural social and work environment dimensions. Although this could be a
neglected factor most of the time, sustainable construction environmental factors easily
produce safety accidents (Li et al., 2021; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020).
Overall, earlier research has given a noticeable focus on safety management in traditional
construction projects (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Lee & Son, 2021; Liwång, 2020;
Loushine et al., 2006). It was highlighted that the construction field is very hazardous and
needs imperative concentration on safety issues, to reduce (or if possible avoid) any possible
and repeating safety incidents that can produce human, economic, and environmental losses
(Kim et al., 2020; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Lee & Son, 2021; Li et al., 2015; Liwång,
2020; Loushine et al., 2006). Similarly, scholars have agreed that sustainable construction
projects incorporate several hazards that can lead to numerous safety incidents (Loushine et
al., 2006; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Robichaud & Anantatmula, 2011; Zacchei & Molina, 2020).
In justification, the sustainable construction projects are new and some of them are being
applied for the first time (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020; Udomsap
& Hallinger, 2020; Wu et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2020), this can produce unexpected or
unexperienced safety accidents. Thus, it is not only essential to conduct a systematic review
about safety management components that work effectively in sustainable construction
projects but also illustrated the findings in a conceptual framework.
4. Conceptual Framework for Safety Management in sustainable Construction Projects
A flexible framework should be established to demonstrate the main components and aspects
of safety management that could lead to an adequate adoption and implementation of safe
sustainable construction projects (Yiu et al., 2018). Given that a ‘‘safe sustainable
construction project’’ refers to any construction project that adopts the pillars of sustainability
(environmental protection, economic growth, and social equity) within its objectives, and
applies safety management effectively to avoid or reduce accidents (Grote, 2012; Kim et al.,
2020; Liwång, 2020; Loushine et al., 2006; Wu et al., 2017; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei
& Molina, 2020; Zhang et al., 2020).
This study integrates the safety management components established by Grote (2012), the
safety management input proposed by Loushine et al. (2006); the surrounding factors in
sustainable construction projects; the pillars of sustainability highlighted by numerous
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scholars; and the safety outcomes suggested by Loushine et al. (2006) in a conceptual
framework to produce safe suitable construction projects. First, the main components of
safety management in construction projects are compliance with local and international safety
policies; selecting adequate safety resources and specifying their responsibilities; identifying
and mitigating risks; following safety standards and procedures; coping with human safety
factors using effective system designs; training employees; monitoring safety performance;
repotting and investigating incidents; auditing; seeking continuous developments; and
managing change (Grote, 2012; Liwång, 2020; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina,
2020). Second, the components suggested by Grote (2012) are used to shape an effective
safety management input. In detail, the management input includes a robust management
commitment towards safety; effective involvement of employees; accurate hazard
identification and control; well-educated and trained employees; efficient accident
investigation; and meaningful efforts in housekeeping to generate and maintain safety
(Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Liwång, 2020; Loushine et al., 2006; Marhavilas et al., 2018;
Zacchei & Molina, 2020). Third, the safety management input provided by Loushine et al.
(2006) is merged with the surrounding factors of sustainable construction projects. In turn,
this leads to substantial improvements in sustainable construction projects such as better
communication among project team members; broad awareness about safety procedures and
policies; advanced knowledge about risk identification, investigation, monitoring, and
controlling; higher demand for more safe sustainable construction projects; commitments to
deliver safe projects; and successful implementation the sustainable construction project
considering the safety components and safety management inputs (Grote, 2012; Kukoyi &
Adebowale, 2021; Liwång, 2020; Loushine et al., 2006; Wu et al., 2017; Marhavilas et al.,
2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). Forth, the combination of safety management input with the
surrounding factors of sustainable development projects creates a desired safety management
output in sustainable construction projects. This safety management output includes reduced
injury and fatality incidence rate; minimized injury/fatality costs; and reduced workers’
compensation insurance premiums (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Liwång, 2020; Loushine et
al., 2006; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). Ultimately, the integration of
these four steps produces safe sustainable construction projects as shown in Figure 1.
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Figure 1. Conceptual Framework for Safety Management in Sustainable Construction
Projects
Source: Developed by the Author.
On top of the above, safe sustainable construction projects require specific knowledge,
techniques, and tools to attain efficient safety management (Gharehbaghi & McManus, 2003;
Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021). Bearing in mind that safe sustainable construction projects
must assure compliance to safety policies and regulations and provide effective safety
education and training to the construction workers, as such acts would contribute
significantly to the attainment of sustainable construction (particularly the social aspects)
(Marhavilas et al., 2018; Okoye & Okolie, 2013). To achieve effective safety management,
the concerned individuals in sustainable construction projects should improve and update
their knowledge about different fields such as social, economic, political, ethical technical,
technological, managerial, cultural, legal /regulatory, organizational, psychological, and
educational levels (Ginevičius et al., 2011; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Liwång, 2020;
Marhavilas et al., 2018). In turn, this will help them not only in eliminating threats but also in
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maintaining a safe sustainable construction environment (Ginevičius et al., 2011; Marhavilas
et al., 2018). Also, safe sustainable construction projects require effective safety management
to provide efficient safety planning, education, training, and inspection (Park & Hyeon-Jin,
2013, Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). Active management is required to
delegate tasks, manage change, handle unexpected situations, and deliver desired quality in
such projects (Gharehbaghi & McManus, 2003; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021). Moreover, the
availability of adequate facilities in sustainable construction projects could enhance the
attainment of reliable safety management, as through these facilities it is possible to promote
the coordination, communication, and visibility of construction safety management; precisely
predict the risks associated with the sustainable construction process and promote a smooth
transition of information among project stakeholders (Li et al., 2021; Liwång, 2020;
Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). In such facilities, it is essential to focus on
the specific utilization of sustainable construction safety education, space planning, site
evacuation, and safety training (Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Li et al., 2021; Marhavilas et al.,
2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). Nevertheless, an accurate safety monitoring system should
be implemented in sustainable construction projects to reduce the likelihood of the
occurrence of unplanned safety incidents (Yiu et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina, 2020). It is
also important to highlight the importance of safety audits and reviews to maintain safe
sustainable construction projects (Grote, 2012; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina,
2020). Eventually, remarkable safety management improvements could be attained in
sustainable construction projects (Yiu et al., 2018; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei & Molina,
2020).
5. Conclusion
‘‘Over the years, the construction industry has been intensifying efforts towards finding a
reasonable and efficient safety management system geared towards achieving sustainable
construction’’ (Okoye & Okolie, 2013, P.76). Although sustainable construction projects have
an imperative role to play in social, economic, and environmental developments, the
likelihood of safety incidents’ occurrence is considerably high in such projects (Gunduz &
Almuajebh, 2020; Kukoyi & Adebowale, 2021; Okoye & Okolie, 2013; Zhang et al., 2020).
This makes safety management in sustainable construction projects very difficult and more
challenging (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Lee & Son, 2021; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Zacchei
& Molina, 2020). Hence, the conceptual framework, demonstrated in this study, proposes
efficient phases to achieve safe sustainable construction projects. These stages are utilizing
safety management components, enriching safety management input, considering the
surrounding factors in sustainable construction projects that influence safety management,
realizing the desired safety management output, and eventually achieving safe sustainable
construction projects (Gunduz & Almuajebh, 2020; Kim et al., 2020; Kukoyi & Adebowale,
2021; Lee & Son, 2021; Liwång, 2020; Marhavilas et al., 2018; Tahmasebinia et al., 2020;
Udomsap & Hallinger, 2020; Zacchei & Molina, 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). However,
although this research contributes sufficiently to the existing safety management and
sustainable construction literature, there are three main limitations to be acknowledged. First,
this review paper could not capture all existing safety management components, in spite of
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some sources that mentioned their existence, but lacked details that would make them
essential for this study. Second, the data collected relied on earlier research, and the results
could differ if an empirical study was performed. Third, the produced conceptual framework
is applicable for sustainable construction projects, and could not be generalized for other
types of projects. Yet, as future work, the results of this research might lead researchers to
examine the proposed conceptual framework empirically; establish a similar framework that
could integrate safety management components in all sustainable development projects, not
only sustainable construction projects; and analyze safety management performance in
sustainable construction projects from both the management’s and team members’
perspectives.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to the previous researcher who have contributed their knowledge about safety
management and sustainable construction.
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