The Future of Designing for Construction Safety

Designing for Construction Safety (DfCS) is a process in which engineers and architects explicitly consider the safety of construction workers during the design process. Although the process has been required in the UK since 1995 and the initiative is gaining momentum in the U.S. on a voluntary basis, there has been little theory to date to predict or guide the evolution of DfCS. This paper suggests there are four trajectories along which DfCS will likely evolve. 1. Designs will increasingly facilitate prefabricated construction because prefabrication shifts work to safer environments, such as from the field to the factory and from elevation to the ground. 2. Designers will increasingly choose materials and systems that are inherently safer than alternatives. 3. Designers will increasingly apply their expertise in engineering principles to perform construction engineering. 4. Designers will increasingly apply spatial considerations to reduce worker hazards, such as ensuring plans consider ergonomics, minimum working clearances for typical tools and equipment, and proximity to site utilities. The paper also discusses what changes will be needed in engineering education and practice due to the growth of DfCS in general and the four trajectories identified above.