Case studies on risk and opportunity at design stage of building projects in australia: Focus on safety

The aim of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the context, practice, benefits and critical success factors in assessing safety risks and opportunities at the design stage of building projects in Australia. Through case studies and interviews, it is found that the assessment and management of risks and opportunities at the design stage of building projects in relation to safety issues could be effectively implemented with a number of benefits including safety performance improvement through the 'think tank' processes (safety knowledge sharing and application), buildability check, value management and quality improvement. It is suggested that this method could be promoted to the construction industry.