Understanding designing for construction safety: the interaction between confidence and attitude of designers and safety culture

Abstract

Designing for construction safety (DfCS) can be defined as the consideration of construction site safety at the design stage of a construction project. Although the link between the design decisions and accidents on construction sites is well established in the literature, the number of studies searching for the designers' perspective on the issue is limited. The aim of this research study is to investigate the interaction between (i) the designers' reliance on their abilities, (ii) their attitudes towards DfCS and (iii) organizations safety culture and current practices. Data is collected by means of a web-based questionnaire. The sample for this study consists of 72 participants from 17 nationalities who are actively engaged in design activities for construction projects in the United Arab Emirates, including architects, civil and structural engineers, mechanical engineers, interior designers and electrical engineers. By providing empirical evidence from a multi-cultural working environment, the finding...