Safety Constructability of Different Project Delivery Methods on Construction Projects

Abstract

Design professionals play a pivotal role in shaping the built environment, not only through the development of drawings and technical specifications but also by serving as a proxy between project owners and constructors in certain project delivery methods. Every design must fulfill the owner’s objectives and project specific criteria that include quality, cost, time, and, crucially, construction safety, all of which can vary across projects. The study objective was to investigate the extent to which designers prioritize worker safety during the design phase across three categories of project delivery methods: non-collaborative, collaborative, and mixed. To achieve the study objective, an online survey was utilized to collect data from 62 designers working in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Following survey data collection, statistical analysis was used to examine the extent to which designers focus on worker safety relative to other design criteria for each delivery method. The survey findings reveal that, within the studied sample, designers’ attention to construction worker safety remained relatively consistent regardless of the delivery method employed. Thus, no statistically significant relationship was found between the delivery method and the degree of safety emphasis among designers. However, collaborative delivery methods that foster greater transparency and interdisciplinary engagement are expected to positively influence project safety performance. Industry stakeholders interested in improving safety performance are encouraged to adopt collaborative delivery approaches and implement structured interventions, such as formal safety constructability reviews, to actively integrate safety into the early stages of project design.