Owner's obligations in promoting occupational health and safety in preconstruction of projects: A literature viewpoint

Construction industry is dynamic in nature worldwide because of growing ambiguities in costs, techniques, and construction processes. The construction projects undergo various events and activities with change of stakeholders in constantly variable working environment. This is why, construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries with high rates of accidents, injuries, and deaths. This study aimed to review the role of management (owner/clients) in fostering occupational health and safety (OHS) in preconstruction phase of projects. The methodology adopted in this study focused on extensive review of literature related to roles of owner in fostering construction safety, including a process of identification and sorting of owner roles in planning, design, and tendering and procurement stages of project. The review of literature led to the identification of 55 roles of owner from 22 sources focusing on OHS in preconstruction phase of projects. The identified roles of owner were categorized according to three stages of preconstruction phase viz. planning, design, and tendering and procurement. Overall, 14 roles in planning, 19 roles in design, and 22 roles in tendering and procurement of construction projects, were identified for owner/client. In conclusion, role of owner in planning stage revolved around proactive identification of potential hazards which can influence the status of OHS at construction sites, while for the design, the roles included selection of safe designers utilizing safe design approaches with high precision, for designing out the risks identified in planning. Subsequently, owner roles in tendering and procurement stage encompassed correct selection and efficient management of contractors, provision of safety budget, and conduct of site inspections for compliance to safety requirements detailed by owner. The identification of and compliance to owner roles will improve the status of safety standards in global construction sector.