Quantification and assessment of safety risk in the design of multistory buildings

Research has shown that construction worker safety and health is influenced by the design of the permanent structure being constructed. Architects and design engineers have the opportunity to positively affect construction worker safety and health through the choices they make in the design process. Lack of designer knowledge about construction processes and limited availability of tools to assist in assessing the safety risk associated with a design are considered as inhibitors to implementation of the design for construction safety (DfCS) concept. This paper presents research conducted to quantify the construction safety risk of each of the design elements present in typical multistory buildings in the United States. The major research efforts were (1) identification of the typical building design elements and associated construction activities; (2) quantification of the unit and cumulative risks of the design elements and construction activities; and (3) development of an online design risk-assessment tool. Absolute safety risks were quantified for 141 design elements and 683 construction activities using the survey-analytical research method. The risk factors developed were incorporated into an online tool titled Safety in Design Risk Evaluator (SliDeRulE). The research contributes to the construction industry body of knowledge by providing quantitative values that link specific design features to construction safety. The website is designed to assist building designers with assessing the level of construction safety risk associated with their designs and is intended for use by designers during the design phase to create buildings that are safer to construct.