A knowledge integration approach for design for safety body of knowledge (DfSBoK)

Abstract

Design for Safety has been becoming increasingly important in the construction industry worldwide however it is limited in terms of integration into the undergraduate programmes curricula. Knowledge integration for Design for Safety is a necessity in order to instil a concept into the construction environment or culture. It is essential that the next generation of construction professionals learn about Design for Safety so that it can be incorporated into the culture of the industry. In order for a new concept to be successfully integrated into current Construction Designers programmes, the right and appropriate approach must be taken.. A primary focus of this paper was on the integration of the Design for Safety Body of Knowledge (DfSBoK) into undergraduate architectural and civil engineering degree programmes. Questionnaire was used as a method of data collection distribute to academicians from 26 universities that are accredited for the said programmes. The results, analysed by SPSS Statistics, found that academics are in agreement with both approaches, whether they are standalone or embedded in current courses. Despite the fact that the findings show that an embedded approach was a slightly higher approach that was preferred. In spite of this, this study suggest that a standalone strategy should be implemented because the academicians have a limited or nonexistent understanding of the concept in question. This finding significantly contribute considerably to the educational sector in overcoming challenges to incorporating design safety knowledge, namely for the architectural and civil engineering programmes respectively.