Abstract
The construction industry is one of the most fatal industries, so it is important to pay more attention to safety solutions. Even though work-related accidents are known as a major waste in construction projects, little attention has been paid so far to incorporating safety into the lean construction framework. In this research, lean construction theory is reviewed through the lens of safety. That being so, the identified challenges in previous research on improving safety in construction projects are categorized, and those related to the concept of lean project delivery are introduced. Then, the principles of the lean construction framework are explained, and the relevant changes for incorporating safety into the framework are introduced and discussed. The proposed model includes a new approach to the Transformation-Flow-Value framework, in order to pay particular attention to safety in construction projects as one of the factors affecting the success of projects, and achieving optimal value for stakeholders. It is expected that this hybrid model would further enrich the lean construction framework. The careful attention of project executives to this model may improve the safety situation in construction projects. The conceptual model presented in this study can be used in the decision making process for project managers as well as research into optimization of safety costs, and eliminating waste (including models for optimizing the movement of machinery, controlling and reducing rework, and designing the site layout).
Highlights
IntroductionDespite extensive research on safety in the construction industry, incidents are still one of the main problems of the industry, and the mortality rate is about five times the average of other industries [1], causing about an 8 to 15 percent increase in project costs in countries such as the United States [2]
Despite extensive research on safety in the construction industry, incidents are still one of the main problems of the industry, and the mortality rate is about five times the average of other industries [1], causing about an 8 to 15 percent increase in project costs in countries such as the United States [2]. With regard to these consequences, some researchers have focused on proactive and preventive approaches, such as safety climate or Prevention through Design (PtD), which can prevent the occurrence of about 40% of accidents [3]
We reviewed the literature related to the challenges of the implementation of safety in construction projects, and the principles related to lean construction, and we examined the interaction effects of applying these two approaches to each other
Summary
Despite extensive research on safety in the construction industry, incidents are still one of the main problems of the industry, and the mortality rate is about five times the average of other industries [1], causing about an 8 to 15 percent increase in project costs in countries such as the United States [2]. Various research on lean construction in different countries shows that the successful application of lean principles in construction can improve cost structure [10], delivery times [12], productivity [13], quality [14], plan reliability [15,16], the relationship between working partners [10,17,18], and job satisfaction [11]. The most important contribution of this paper is to present a new perspective on the relationship between safety and lean construction, and that in addition to the fact that lean principles can lead to safety, attention to safety in the framework of TFV can lead to different and more optimal decisions, and eventually more value and less waste in the project could be achieved
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