Communication of health and safety information in construction

Occupational health and safety is important to the design, construction, maintenance, refurbishment and demolition of buildings and facilities in all branches of industry, business and commerce. Health and safety issues have been a major consideration in construction. Far too many people get hurt, injured or die even though the situation has improved over recent years. Accident and fatality rates continue to be significantly higher than other industry sectors. Although all parties involved in the construction industry may address their respective responsibilities, the lack of integration between each organisation often results in communication problems which jeopardise health and safety. Of particular note is the communication during the design phase. All information pertaining to the project must be readily accessible for all parties, to ensure smooth and hitch-free project execution. This paper reviews the challenges in the communication of health and safety information in the design phase of construction projects. It characterises the various aspects of collaborative communications at this stage and highlights the problem area. It also presents the preliminary findings of interviews with members of the design team as part of the first author s PhD studies.