Coming soon · Book Profile
Strategic Safety Mgmt Construction
A strategic, boardroom-to-site framework for managing construction and engineering safety by integrating the 'science' (systems, economics, design, research) and 'art' (culture, skills, learning) of safety management.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Written for senior managers, project management personnel, and researchers in construction and engineering, this book reframes safety not as a regulatory burden or a cost center but as a strategic, value-adding business function that must be integrated into all decision making. Drawing on economics, organizational psychology, management skill theory, adult learning, design risk management, and research methodology, the authors show that further leaps in safety performance require balancing engineered systems with human factors — culture, leadership skills, learning, and design-stage intervention. Through return-on-investment models, safety culture maturity frameworks, skill development models, training evaluation techniques, safety-in-design and BIM applications, a mixed-methods research-practice nexus, and detailed corporate case studies (Fluor, Gammon, John Holland, Lend Lease, Leighton), the book equips leaders to develop, implement, and evaluate strategic safety management, while insisting that safety ultimately rests on moral, ethical, and human-rights foundations that cannot be reduced to money.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A senior manager, board member, or project management professional in construction and engineering who wants to dramatically improve safety performance and integrate safety into strategic decision making.
- The problem
- Construction is one of the most dangerous industries; injuries and fatalities persist and safety performance has plateaued despite investment in systems and technology. Leaders feel that safety is an expensive, low-return burden and are unsure how to move beyond compliance to genuine, lasting improvement.
- The plan
- Understand and prove the economics of safety and optimize safety investment.
- Build and measure a mature safety culture across its psychological, behavioural, and corporate dimensions.
- Develop the conceptual, human, political, and technical skills of safety leaders.
- Design effective, andragogy-based safety training and recognize informal learning in practice.
- Eliminate hazards early through safety-in-design, risk management, and BIM.
- The payoff
- Fewer injuries and fatalities and a demonstrable positive return on safety investment. · A mature safety culture with committed leadership and engaged workforce from boardroom to site. · Safety integrated into design, procurement, training, and strategic decisions across the supply chain.
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.