THE PRACTICE OF DFS REVIEW IN SINGAPORE: INDUSTRY AND ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL INTERVENTIONS

Abstract

Design for Safety (DfS) is a promising intervention to address safety concerns in construction. This study examines the practice of DfS review in Singapore and identifies potential interventions for improving practice of DfS. Through 59 interviews conducted with practitioners, DfS practice was classified into five types of practices under a two-axis model; the group’s focus in the review and effort deployed to support this focus. From the interviews, industry level interventions were identified and classified. In four focus groups with 16 experts, interventions addressing competency and knowledge of team members were perceived to be the most important. A novel instrument to measure DfS climate was created for organisational level intervention. With 242 responses, the five dimensions of DfS climate were found to be: leader participation, member cooperation, member performance, project resources, and expectations for stakeholder representation. These findings aid in the understanding of how to achieve effective DfS review.