Enhancing Safety and Risk Management in Residential Construction through BIM Integration

Despite the global advances in digital tools that enhance the construction safety, the residential projects in Baghdad continue to experience high accident rates, largely due to the political instability, economic limitations, and resistance to adopting new technologies. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has significant potential to support the proactive risk management in these projects, yet its use remains limited. This study demonstrates that BIM can improve the safety by enabling real-time hazard monitoring, strengthening the collaboration among stakeholders, and embedding safety standards from the earliest design stages. To adapt the international practices to the local conditions, it addresses challenges, such as high implementation costs, weak infrastructure, and the absence of clear regulations. Based on the findings, practical strategies, including government mandates for public projects, phased BIM adoption, and cloud-based solutions are proposed to reduce the resource constraints. Ultimately, the research outlines a pathway for applying BIM in high-risk environments, though its success will depend on the future improvements in safety documentation and IT capacity.