KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES FOR DESIGN FOR SAFETY: A STUDY ON MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Abstract

Design for Safety (DfS) is a concept that brings safety upstream into the design phase. By considering and designing for safety early on in a construction project, any changes are less costly and easier to manage. The knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the major stakeholders such as the Designers (Architects and Engineers), Developers, Project Managers, Contractors and Safety Professionals play a critical role in ensuring the success of DfS. The aim of this research is to investigate the KAP of these stakeholders on DfS. Specifically, the objectives of the research are: (1) to establish a representative baseline level of DfS KAP of multiple stakeholders such as the Designers (Architects and Engineers), Developers, Project Managers, Contractors and Safety Prfessionals (2) to develop DfS interventions to help in the improvement of the current DfS approach based on the KAP of the various stakeholders involved.

The research begins firstly with a comprehensive literature review on DfS and KAP to better understand the concept of DfS and to assist in the design of the questionnaire surveys that were distributed later on to the various stakeholders that were targeted for this research. This follows with a data analysis after the results of the questionnaire surveys were collected. The data analysis was assisted with the use of the SPSS software to perform various statistical analysis such as the one sample t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, independent samples t-test and the Chi-Square test. In addition, interviews with industry professionals were conducted to aid in the understanding of the current KAP of the designers and developers towards DfS.

The results of the findings suggest that there is an insufficient level of knowledge and practice among the stakeholders though they have a positive attitude towards DfS. The factors that can attribute to these findings include the mindset of the stakeholders on safety, the inadequate guidance materials and knowledgeable experienced designers. Improvements to the design of the current DfS training courses and measures to improve knowledge of current DfS Professionals were proposed to alleviate the safety KAP of the industry and ensure further progress of DfS.