Exploring the knowledge, attitude and practice of prevention through design among designers in Malaysia construction industry

Abstract

The construction industry is essential in the Malaysian economy due to its involvement in the national economic chain. However, its occupational safety and health (OSH) performance are not particularly impressive. This industry is one of the most significant contributors to Malaysia?s fatality accident statistics compared to other industries. In the efforts of the government to resolve this, an initiative was launched. The Guidelines of Occupational Safety and Health Construction Industry (Management) (OSHCIM), in line with the concept of Prevention through Design (PtD), have been launched and will be legislative in force soon. Therefore, this study aims to assess designers (architects, M&E engineers, and C&S engineers) in the Malaysia construction industry to the PtD principle and explore their current knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP).This study used a questionnaire survey collected from 114 respondents for obtaining relevant inputs and was analyzed using descriptive and quantitative methods, which were then presented in the form of charts, graphs, and tables for easy understanding. The result revealed that the knowledge and practices of PtD among the designer community are relatively low despite their positive attitude toward the implementation of PtD in the construction industry.These findings also suggest that there are certain obstacles in PtD implementation, such as “lack of early education in tertiary curriculum level” and “continuous professional training”, which will be undermining the enforcement of OSHCIM in the near future. Thus, it is recommended that a swift, comprehensive and holistic action plan be implemented soon for the PtD principle's success in the Malaysian construction industry.