The trajectories of Prevention through Design in construction.
BACKGROUND
Construction Hazards Prevention through Design (CHPtD) is a process in which engineers and architects explicitly consider the safety of construction workers during the design process. Although articles on CHPtD have appeared in top construction journals, the literature has not addressed technical principles underlying CHPtD to help designers better perform CHPtD, to facilitate the development of additional CHPtD tools, and to predict the future path of CHPtD.


METHODS
This theoretical paper uses the existing literature on CHPtD and current action research associated with several CHPtD workgroups to analyze how CHPtD will likely evolve over the coming decades.


RESULTS
There are four trajectories along which CHPtD will progress. (a) Designs will increasingly facilitate prefabricated construction; (b) designers will increasingly choose materials and systems that are inherently safer than alternatives; (c) designers will increasingly perform construction engineering; and (d) designers will increasingly apply spatial considerations to reduce worker hazards.


CONCLUSIONS
By understanding how CHPtD may be manifested in the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) industry, practitioners can better prepare for adopting CHPtD within their organizations and construction and engineering educators can better prepare their graduates to perform CHPtD.
Toole
T Michael
TM
Civil & Env. Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA. ttoole@bucknell.edu
Gambatese
John
J
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003252:Construction Materials; D004738:Engineering; D004779:Environment Design; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009314:National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S.; D016272:Occupational Health; D017751:Safety Management; D014481:United States