Prevention Through Design: A Concept Note for Preventing Accidents/Injuries to Construction Workers

Abstract

Planning for health and safetyHealth and safety in construction has always been a challenge. Workers at construction sites are exposed to a variety of health hazards every day. Researchers had identified that the different sources of health hazards at construction site include chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards. Hazardous activities in construction project such as demolition works, excavation works, scaffolding and ladder works, construction machinery, and tools usage cause harm to workers at site which may result in musculoskeletal disorder, respiratory diseases, and dermatitis to workers. Traditionally, construction safety is not considered by designers/architects in project design. Therefore, planning for safety and health of the workers is very critical. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of “Prevention through Design (PtD)” for construction workers, which integrates health and safety into the management of construction projects. The concept of PtD is applicable to diverse disciplines such as construction, health care and social assurance, forestry and fishing, transportation, mining, agriculture, and manufacturing. In this paper, different sources of health hazards and their effects on construction workers were discussed. Further, this paper describes how hazards in construction projects can be prevented or minimized by integrating PtD. This concept is expected to improve the performance of safety and productivity in construction.