Owner’s Role in Construction Safety

TLDR

The construction industry remains one of the worst in safety, though recent gains are partly due to coordinated efforts by owners, contractors, subcontractors, and designers, yet the specific influence of owners has not been studied. This study examines the owner's role in construction safety. Interviews on large construction projects were used to analyze how project characteristics, safe contractor selection, contractual safety requirements, and owner participation in safety management affect safety performance. The study identifies owner practices that correlate with better safety outcomes, offering guidance on how owners can directly influence project safety.

Abstract

Despite dramatic improvements in recent decades, the construction industry continues to be one of the industries with the poorest safety records. Recent improvements are due, in part, to the concerted efforts of owners, contractors, subcontractors, and designers. While past safety studies have investigated the roles of contractors, subcontractors, and designers, the owner's impact on construction safety has not been previously investigated. This paper will present the results of a study on the owner's role in construction safety. Data were obtained by conducting interviews on large construction projects. The relationship between project safety performance and the owner's influence was examined, with particular focus on project characteristics, the selection of safe contractors, contractual safety requirements, and the owner's participation in safety management during project execution. By identifying practices of owners that are associated with good project safety performances, guidance is provided on how owners directly impact safety performance.