Integration of health and safety planning in construction project management through the development of a best practice gateway model

This thesis describes a study by the author, which began as part of a 19-month contract funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). He was the fulltime researcher investigating integration of health and safety in construction planning. In 1995 HSE introduced the Construction Design and Management Regulations to encourage the integration of health and safety into construction project planning. Unfortunately, industry opinion is that this has led to an overly bureaucratic regime. The aim of this study was therefore to answer the question how to improve the practical integration of health and safety management into construction project planning? The objectives were set as four questions: How is health and safety integrated with construction planning? What problems are faced when attempting this? How can the problems be overcome? And how can these methods be improved and tested? The problem was industry based and the author decided to undertake an applied research approach. This used the principles of grounded theory and action research involving the development of a theoretical model based on the Office for Government Commerce `Gateway' framework. A literature review and a series of group and individual interviews, incorporating coding of the interview text was used to identify categories within the model and to inform the development of integrated management tools. Grounded theory validation of the model was achieved through continuous comparison of the emerging data. Testing of the tools was done using an action research approach which engaged industry practitioners to simulate use and critically assess their practical application. The resulting model and eight supporting planning tools have found to represent practical methods of integrating health and safety management into construction project planning. Recommendations for further research are to field test the model and further develop the tools. An aspect of applied research is that it is ongoing. This is reflected in these recommendations.