From finger pointing to life saving: Defining professional responsibility for health and safety in construction design

Summary

This project examined the complexity of construction design and practical challenges associated with identifying a single point of responsibility for safety in design decision-making.

The research provided evidence that can inform the effective regulation of occupational health and safety in socially and technologically complex situations in which decision-making is iterative, adaptive and professionally and organisationally distributed.

Team

• Helen Lingard
• Paolo Tombesi
• Nick Blismas
• Blair Gardiner

Partners

• ARC Discovery Project

Peer-reviewed papers/outputs

• LINGARD, H., COOKE, T. & BLISMAS, N., (2012), Designing for construction workers' occupational health and safety: A case study of socio-material complexity, Construction Management and Economics, 30 (5), pp. 367-382.
• LINGARD, H., BLISMAS, N., HARLEY, J., STRANIERI, A., PIRZADEH, P. & ZHANG, R. P., (2018), Making the invisible visible: Stimulating health and safety relevant thinking through the use of infographics in construction design, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 25(1), pp. 39-61.
• LINGARD, H., COOKE, T., BLISMAS, N. & WAKEFIELD, R., (2013), Prevention through design: Trade-offs in reducing occupational health and safety risk for the construction and operation of a facility, Journal of Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 3 (1). pp. 7-23.