Identification of Safety Risks for High-Performance Sustainable Construction Projects
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 138, Issue 4
Abstract
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC)-sponsored Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program represents the largest program in the United States for the measurement, verification, and certification of green buildings. A recent study found that LEED-certified buildings have accounted for a higher injury rate than comparative traditional non-LEED buildings. This finding served as the impetus for the present study, which aimed to identify and evaluate the safety and health risks associated with the design elements and construction management practices implemented to achieve LEED certification. To explore this topic, six detailed case studies and two validation case studies were conducted following a strict protocol developed from guiding literature. The results indicate that (1) workers on LEED construction projects are exposed to work at height, with electrical current, near unstable soils, and near heavy equipment for a greater period of time than workers on traditional projects; (2) workers are exposed to new high-risk tasks such as constructing atria, installing green roofs, and installing photovoltaic (PV) panels; and (3) some credits result in a positive impact on construction worker safety and health when low volatile organic compound (VOC) adhesives and sealants are specified. It is expected that these results can be used by practitioners to focus attention and resources on new highrisk work environments.
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Acknowledgments
This journal article was supported by CPWR through NIOSH cooperative agreement OH009762. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the writers and do not necessarily represent the official views of CPWR or NIOSH.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 138 • Issue 4 • April 2012
Pages: 499 - 508
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 30, 2011
Accepted: Jul 1, 2011
Published online: Jul 4, 2011
Published in print: Apr 1, 2012
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