Poka-Yokes as Occupational Preventive Measures in Construction Safety. A Review

Abstract

Poka-yoke systems (from the Japanese “mistake-proofing”) are defined within the construction sector as a group within specific tools available to implement the principles of Lean Construction. These principles are a way of designing construction projects in such a way that waste of materials, time and effort are minimized in order to generate the maximum possible value for the final customer. Objective: The aim of current research is to perform an analysis of the state of the art about publications dealing with Lean construction, poka-yokes, and preventive measures in the construction sector. Methodology: Main scholar databases were accessed by entering keywords related to the scope of the research. Results: In general, the impact of Lean technologies in the construction sector, including poka-yokes methodologies, has been investigated in some previous research. The main challenges that present the implementation of this type of techniques in a sector such as construction have been identified: the change in the work culture of the organizations, the lack of knowledge about the Lean techniques, or the costs and complexity of the implementation of the techniques. Some authors consider the Lean tools effective in increasing the safety conditions of workers and reduce the accident rate in construction sites, but other authors do not believe that there is empirical evidence to justify a significant improvement in the conditions of work. Conclusions: In order to increase the effectiveness of the poka-yoke in the form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), it is necessary to know more about the human failures present in incidents and accidents. Similarly, the design and implementation of poka-yokes in construction activities is difficult because many activities are based on the taking of previous decisions, which generate a dynamic planning in which the conditions of risks and defects are in continuous change. Additionally, some examples of poka-yoke device in construction sector were proposed by the authors at the end of the results section.