Communication of Safety in the Design Phase

Communication of Safety in the Design Phase

Ineffective management practices, particularly in the design phase,

have been identified as a prime cause of the unacceptable accident and

occupational health record of the construction industry. The

Construction (Design & Management) Regulations requires designers to

identify, reduce and control risks to the workforce. However, for many

designers the adoption of such practices is still unfamiliar and there

is little information on procedures or best practices. Thus, to a

large extent the application of such regulations is intuitive and

relies on the attitude and behaviour of the designer and their ability

to communicate the identified risks effectively. This paper outlines

the methodological approach used to measure the attitudes, beliefs,

and behaviour and value judgements of the parties involved during the

design phase.

Keywords: Behaviour, Communication, Health, Safety, Design,

Management.

INTRODUCTION

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The requirement for increasingly complex projects, more exacting

demands in terms of time, cost and quality, fluctuating industry

workload and ever tighter fee scales have focused the need for

effective communication and management of information during design.

Numerous government and stakeholder-sponsored studies on the culture

and operation of the UK construction industry have been conducted.

These reports have acknowledged that communication and information

flow during design have a major impact on the performance of

construction projects. Back in 1962, Emmerson stated that "in building

there is all to often a lack of confidence between architect and

builder amounting at worst to distrust and mutual recrimination. Even

at best, relations are affected by an aloofness which cannot make for

efficiency, and the building owners suffer. In no other important

industry is the responsibility for design so far removed from the

responsibility for production". The Banwell Report (1964) found that

"insufficient regard is paid to the importance or value of time and

its proper use in all aspects of a project, from the client's original

decision to build, through the design stages and up to final

completion. Time well spent can mean time and money saved".