The Potential Effectiveness of Lean Construction Tools in Promoting Safety on Construction Sites

Abstract

The development of more effective management techniques has become essential for the improvement of working conditions within the company. The construction industry is characterized by unpredictable and fluctuating construction processes which increase the level of risk of accidents. In this context, this work aims at conducting a synthesis of the most reliable research in the field of safety management in order to study the contribution of Lean Construction practices in the promotion of safety. The study evaluates the potential effectiveness of Lean Construction tools such as (Last Planner System, Visual Management, 5S, Error-proofing) in promoting the safety on construction sites. This study shows that lean construction tools have a great potential to improve the safety performance. Several Lean Construction practices such as the correlation between scheduled tasks and the ability of the staff working on site, choosing of working methods in compliance with safety requirements, the incorporation of visual tools, and the Simplification of workflow could minimize the risk of accidents and promote the worker safety through minimizing hazards, motivating people involvement in the planning phase and preventing human errors.