The study, “Identification of Safety Risks for High Performance Sustainable Construction Projects,” which appeared in the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, examines construction projects built to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification. LEED-certified buildings have a 9% higher recordable injury rate than non-LEED buildings.
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 on traditional projects, the study reports. Construction workers also are exposed to new high-risk tasks such as constructing atria, installing vegetated roofs and installing solar panels that are not present on traditional projects.
The most significant impacts are:
Designers and contractors identified prefabrication, effective site layout and alternative products as methods to prevent injuries that specifically relate to hazards of each sustainable element. Specifying low-VOC materials reduces health-related risks for construction workers who perform work in enclosed environments.
The study also reveals feasible prevention methods through design techniques, technologies and controls, and management strategies that can be implemented to mitigate these risks. The results of the study are packaged into a first-generation decision support tool that provides designers and construction managers with safety suggestions for their LEED projects.
Visit http://ascelibrary.org to purchase a copy of the study.
