Integrating Safety-I and Safety-II: Learning from failure and success in construction sites

Abstract

Like other sectors, safety management in the construction industry is still mostly aligned with the Safety-I approach, which is based on learning from undesired events. The Safety-II approach, which emphasizes improving safety through the analysis of everyday work, is still poorly understood and used in the construction industry. This article proposes, applies, and evaluates a framework for the integration of Safety-I and Safety-II in construction sites. The framework implementation encompasses three stages: (i) understanding work-as-imagined (WAI) and work-as-done (WAD); (ii) evaluating the gap between WAI and WAD; and (iii) learning and revising WAI and WAD. The framework was tested on the construction site of a high-rise residential building in Brazil for three months. Data sources for this test involved observations, interviews, and analysis of documents. The results offered insight into the acceptability and utility of Safety-II in the construction industry as well the benefits and difficulties of combining Safety-I and Safety-II. Furthermore, the framework stimulated the conversation about the gap between WAI and WAD, generating opportunities for improvement from both successes and failures.