Enhancing existing health and safety processes in public sector construction projects within Saudi Arabia using building information modelling approaches

Current statistics on Health and Safety (H&S) outcomes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) public construction sector demonstrate the need for academic and practical assessment of the current environment for the purpose of improving outcomes. Even though the construction public sector in Saudi Arabia has been rapidly expanding, the H&S record of this industry remains considerably poor, as evidenced by the rising figures of injuries and deaths. The purpose of this research is to assess the current use of H&S technologies and, therefore, possibilities for the use of building information modelling (BIM) in the industry. The research aims to enhance H&S management in Saudi public sector construction projects by exploring integrated approaches to project design and delivery using BIM-based technologies and processes This research uses a mixed method approach to assess the current H&S environment to develop a framework suitable for the unique environment aimed at improving the current outcomes. The data collected through a survey and interviews with subject matter experts has been analysed to outline the major issues facing the implementation of innovative technologies to improve current business processes and provide a roadmap to enhance the predominant H&S policies and activities in Saudi Arabia. Challenges identified through these efforts include the Saudi environment as having high levels of fragmentation, a low skilled, multilingual and multi-ethnic workforce and inefficient use of BIM technologies being made.Based on these findings, a framework, which incorporates BIM to include automated hazard identification and correction during design and during construction, has been developed. The framework is initially devised based on a synthesis of the literature and further refined based on findings from questionnaires. The result of this research is the identification of 18 factors impacting H&S. The framework is developed and validated using interpretive structural modelling (ISM). Through these methods, the key driving factors for improving H&S outcomes in the public construction sector in KSA are identified. Among these, better enforcement of regulations and laws is identified as the key factor needed for improving outcomes. The study concludes with a discussion of the applications of the proposed framework and recommendations for future research. Specifically, this research advocates for the inclusion of BIM technologies in H&S frameworks as a method of addressing the specific challenge of communicating with a predominately migrant workforce. This new approach for H&S analysis during construction focuses on the integration of construction simulation, 3D/4D/5D construction management and safety analysis through the incorporation of technology for both planning and communication.