Accident and innovation in construction industry: Learning by doing to prevent accidents and improve the production

Abstract

The development of construction processes and systems aimed at technological innovations that can effectively contribute to the evolution of the construction process of a building is currently a reality. The aim of this study is to analyze the interaction between learning by doing and the implementation of changes (innovation) during the construction process of a building. Applying ergonomic work analysis, which is supported by a specific ethnographic study during the construction process of a residential building, it was possible to highlight and classify the cases with implications for the implementation of changes (innovation). The results show how execution actors at the level of implementation, through learning by doing, enable the implementation of change (innovation) during the construction process and the consequent improvement of the construction process, not only in terms of quality and productivity, but also in terms of worker safety, preventing “minor accidents or incidents”. However, learning by doing and the determining factors that hinder its application remain contained at the level of the execution actors and no make managers of the construction process able to absorb operational experiences and preventing recurrent problems (“minor accidents or incidents”). This study underlines how learning by doing allows the implementation of changes (innovation) during the process of building a building. Furthermore, findings are potentially transferable to other areas such as that of organizational factors, ethnographic observations, innovations, construction process, learning, accident analysis, knowledge management and learning processes.