Organisational attributes that determine design for occupational safety and health capability

Design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) is increasingly becoming prominent in construction. In the UK, DfOSH is a legal requirement under the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). Amongst other requirements, the CDM 2015 regulations require organisations to have the appropriate organisational capability in respect of occupational safety and (OSH), which is described as the policies, systems, resources and people an organisation has in place to set acceptable OSH standards and to ensure the standards are delivered. Regarding design firms, it is unclear within the academic literature which organisational attributes are important for ascertaining organisational DfOSH capability. This study sought to address this through two expert focus group discussions involving seven experienced construction, design and OSH professionals within the UK construction industry. The focus group discussions revealed that organisational attributes that determine organisational DfOSH capability include: design quality management; project review to capture lessons and improve; physical work resources that support design work and DfOSH; design risk management; company reputation/experience in project delivery; ability to innovate or to be creative in addressing OSH hazards in design; organisational leadership and strategy that promotes DfOSH within the organisation; design staff capability (i.e. skills, knowledge and experience); human resources development; information and communication technology (ICT) resources; and collaboration ability. These attributes could assist design firms to better understand their own DfOSH capability, and they could similarly help organisations that appoint design firms to understand design firms’ DfOSH capability.