Study on the Information Flow for Construction Project Safety Management

The construction industry has been identified with the characteristics of complexity and fragment, involving several stakeholders. Projects carried out within this sector required effective collaboration and communication among multiple participants. However, the ineffective communication in construction job sites has resulted in poor safety performance, cost overrun, delays and rework due to the hazardous nature of the construction industry, which leads to the industry to lose approximately $60 billion per year globally. Construction safety management is one of the biggest challenges in this industry due to the lack of effective communication, which contributed to high accidents, injuries, and even death. Previous studies have attempted to focus on improving communication on job sites through information technologies. Despite the increasing use of IT in improving communication, safety remains a significant concern in the construction industry. The critical problem of ineffective communication on construction job sites is that there is a lack of information interoperability within the industry blocks the seamless and timely exchange of relevant information on projects. In this research, it aims to develop a safety information flow model for improving the key problem of information flow in construction safety management. The model is developed based on the document analysis and questionnaire. The model is presented in 2 modules; Module 1 presents the information required in safety management and how the information is processed in categories. Module 2 presents the right and responsibility of handling each safety information. 1404 Information Flow Paths have been identified, and the model has helped analyze the common data required in different safety management functions, which can help to enhance the integration of safety information to serve the research objectives.