Owner perceptions of barriers to prevention through design diffusion

Prevention through design (PtD) is an emerging concept for reducing safety hazards and preventing worker injuries and fatalities. Existing literature suggests that diffusion of PtD faces several significant barriers. This paper reports the results of a funded 2-year research study examining how employees in owner firms perceive potential barriers to PtD, including designers' lack of knowledge about performing PtD, increased designer fees, and designers' resistance to PtD due to fears of increased liability exposure. The research included an industrywide survey of owner-organization employees and case studies of four owner organizations, two of which had formal PtD programs. Research findings indicate that barriers to PtD suggested in the literature are not perceived to be as substantial as predicted. Owner employees are attracted to PtD and believe that it is a viable concept for enhancing construction safety. In practice, implementation requires that owners are knowledgeable about PtD, communicate their interest in PtD to the project team, confirm PtD as a high priority, and establish project processes to implement and monitor its success. The research findings are unique; they provide evidence of a pathway for PtD diffusion that was not previously available. In addition, the findings contribute to the knowledge in this area by providing guidance on how owner organizations participating in construction projects can act to successfully implement PtD on their projects.