Sharar, Mohammed, Agyekum, Kofi, Manu, Patrick, Che Ibrahim, Che Khairil Izam, Mahamadu, Abdul Majeed, Antwi-Afari, Maxwell Fordjour and Danso, Frederick Owusu (2022). Design for safety in construction:a study of design professionals in Kuwait. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation ,
Abstract
Purpose: Design for safety (DfS), also known as prevention through design (PtD), is a concept that mitigates accidents and hazards through considerations during the design stage of building projects. The literature provides much information on this concept, but such information is only limited to a few developed countries such as the UK, the USA and Australia. There is limited insight into DfS implementation in the construction industry of several countries, including countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) such as Kuwait. Therefore, this study investigates DfS implementation among design professionals in the Kuwait construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a questionnaire survey to obtain data from design professionals. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (i.e. analysis of variance and t-test). Findings: The results revealed that DfS awareness among design professionals is very high; there is a very high willingness among design professionals to apply the concept, and design professionals generally view DfS implementation as important. Despite these, the frequency of implementation of DfS practices is generally moderate. In addition, the results revealed that though there is a high interest in DfS training among the design professionals, their actual engagement in training is low. The results also suggest some association between the frequency of engagement in the DfS practices and designers' DfS awareness, training and education. DfS related regulations, industry guidance, formal education and training are considered by design professionals to have the greatest influence on DfS implementation in Kuwait. Originality/Value: These emerging findings both mirror and contradict aspects of the outcomes of previous DfS studies in other countries. Furthermore, the findings from this study provide insights into a less investigated area regarding work-related health and safety in the GCC region. It offers new and additional information and insights into the current state-of-the-art DfS implementation in the construction industry in Kuwait. In view of the findings, joined-up efforts by government, industry and academia are needed to enhance DfS implementation by design professionals in Kuwait.
Publication DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-01-2022-0015 |
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Divisions: | College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > School of Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering > Civil Engineering |
Additional Information: | © 2021 Emerald Publishing. This AAM is deposited under the CC BY-NC 4.0 licence. Any reuse is allowed in accordance with the terms outlined by the licence. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by contacting permissions@emeraldinsight.com. |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | Construction,Design,Design for safety,Health and safety,Survey,Civil and Structural Engineering,Building and Construction |
Publication ISSN: | 2398-4708 |
Last Modified: | 03 Dec 2024 08:19 |
Date Deposited: | 31 Mar 2022 09:24 |
Full Text Link: | |
Related URLs: |
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK
(Scopus URL) https://www.eme ... -0015/full/html (Publisher URL) |
PURE Output Type: | Article |
Published Date: | 2022-03-18 |
Published Online Date: | 2022-03-18 |
Accepted Date: | 2022-02-28 |
Authors: |
Sharar, Mohammed
Agyekum, Kofi Manu, Patrick Che Ibrahim, Che Khairil Izam Mahamadu, Abdul Majeed Antwi-Afari, Maxwell Fordjour ( 0000-0002-6812-7839) Danso, Frederick Owusu |