Coming soon · Book Profile
Total Project Mgmt Construction Safety
A total-project management framework showing how safety, health and environment (SHE) performance in construction is determined by decisions made at every stage from concept through design, contracting, construction, commissioning and review.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Written by senior health and safety executives from Europe's leading client and constructor organizations, this European Construction Institute guide argues that construction's unacceptable safety record is not inevitable but is the predictable outcome of the whole chain of project decisions. It reframes site accidents as end-points of choices made much earlier by clients, designers, engineers and financiers, and lays out a systematic, proactive SHE management system spanning company policy, initial concept, design, cost-benefit analysis, contractual arrangements, contractor selection, planning, construction, commissioning, handover, audit and review. With checklists, worked examples (HAZCON, HAZOP, permit-to-work, method statements, SHE action plans) and stage-by-stage guidance, it equips every party in the construction process to earn superior SHE performance by applying well-established best practice consistently.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A construction project participant — client, designer, engineer, contractor or sub-contractor — who wants to deliver projects successfully while protecting people's lives and health and the environment.
- The problem
- The construction industry has an unacceptable safety, health and environmental record, with rising accident rates and hazards that materialise on site. Those responsible feel that accidents are inevitable, that good SHE ideas are rarely applied consistently, and that safety adds cost and conflicts with commercial pressures.
- The plan
- Establish company SHE policy at Board level giving SHE equal status with quality and commercial goals.
- Identify major hazards and assess risks at initial concept (HAZCON 1) and refine as the project develops (HAZCON 2).
- Use design and specification to eliminate or mitigate construction hazards through systematic hazard management.
- Recognise and price SHE costs and benefits to close the cost expectation gap.
- Define contract strategy and documentation that assigns clear SHE responsibilities.
- The payoff
- Reduced death and injury and less environmental damage from construction. · Safe, tidy, efficient sites with high morale, fewer disputes, reduced absenteeism and better relationships. · Lower avoided costs from accidents, litigation and delays alongside improved cost, time and quality performance.
See our guide
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Additional reading
- Construction Safety Management · Levitt, R.E. and Samelson, N.M.
Cited frequently throughout the book as a foundational text on the principles of managing safety specifically within the construction context, covering topics from management's role to cost implications.
- Construction Safety · Hinze, J.
Referenced in multiple chapters as an authoritative source on accident causation, safety performance measurement, and the specific hazards and controls relevant to the construction industry.
- Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents · Reason, J.T.
This book is cited for its influential theories on systemic accident causation, human error, and the concept of safety culture, providing a theoretical underpinning for many of the arguments made about moving beyond blaming individuals.
- Rethinking Construction (The Egan Report) · Egan, J.
Frequently mentioned as a key driver for change in the UK construction industry, its recommendations for improving efficiency, integration, and teamwork through concepts like partnering are directly linked to creating a better culture for safety.
- Constructing the Team (The Latham Report) · Latham, M.
Cited as a landmark report that diagnosed the adversarial, conflict-ridden nature of the UK construction industry, providing the context for why new collaborative approaches like partnering are seen as essential for improving all aspects of performance, including safety.
- Application of the New Production Philosophy to Construction · Lauri Koskela (1992)
This is the seminal report that catalyzed the Lean Construction movement. The entire book is framed as a 25-year review and advancement of the ideas first presented in this paper.
- The Toyota Way · Jeffrey K. Liker (2004)
Cited frequently as the source for understanding the 14 principles of the Toyota Production System, which provides the philosophical and practical foundation for Lean thinking.
- Program Policy Manual (PPM) · Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
The book frequently cites the PPM as the definitive source for interpreting how MSHA standards are to be applied in practice, providing crucial context beyond the raw regulations.
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) National Consensus Standards · NFPA
Chapter 12 on Fire Prevention explicitly lists several NFPA standards (e.g., NFPA 10, NFPA 13) as resources for mine operators seeking further information on firefighting equipment and systems.
- Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing · National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Recommended in Chapter 30 as a must-read resource for M/NM operators seeking to implement engineering controls to comply with the new Part 60 silica standard.