TY - JOUR
T1 - The Impact of Sustainability Rating Systems on Health and Safety in Building Projects
AU - Huang, Jieling
AU - Abadi, Mohamed
AU - Manu, Patrick
AU - Cheung, Clara
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Sustainable construction has gained increasing popularity within the building sector with many
sustainability rating systems (SRSs) available worldwide. However, most research has been
focused on the environmental benefits of pursuing SRSs with little attention paid to the health
& safety (H&S) impact on construction workers. This study thus aims to investigate the impact
of adopting SRSs on the health and safety of construction workers (HSCW) in building
projects. A systematic literature review was conducted, including 39 articles, to investigate the
possible association between sustainability and H&S hazards. It resulted in 30 events and 8
types of associated hazards which are mostly related to the adoption of LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) and HKBEAM (Hong Kong Building Environmental
Assessment Method). The adoption of SRSs is likely to increase the exposure of workers to
known H&S with no new hazards introduced. In particular, ‘falling from height’ and ‘manual
handling injuries’ caused by solar installation and retrieving recyclable waste respectively are
the most representative sustainability-related hazards. While evidence detected is mainly
related to LEED, further research is needed to investigate whether findings are valid for other
SRSs, such as BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment
Method) in the United Kingdom (UK) or Green Star in Australia, to address H&S concerns
associated with sustainable building projects.
AB - Sustainable construction has gained increasing popularity within the building sector with many
sustainability rating systems (SRSs) available worldwide. However, most research has been
focused on the environmental benefits of pursuing SRSs with little attention paid to the health
& safety (H&S) impact on construction workers. This study thus aims to investigate the impact
of adopting SRSs on the health and safety of construction workers (HSCW) in building
projects. A systematic literature review was conducted, including 39 articles, to investigate the
possible association between sustainability and H&S hazards. It resulted in 30 events and 8
types of associated hazards which are mostly related to the adoption of LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) and HKBEAM (Hong Kong Building Environmental
Assessment Method). The adoption of SRSs is likely to increase the exposure of workers to
known H&S with no new hazards introduced. In particular, ‘falling from height’ and ‘manual
handling injuries’ caused by solar installation and retrieving recyclable waste respectively are
the most representative sustainability-related hazards. While evidence detected is mainly
related to LEED, further research is needed to investigate whether findings are valid for other
SRSs, such as BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment
Method) in the United Kingdom (UK) or Green Star in Australia, to address H&S concerns
associated with sustainable building projects.
U2 - 10.1680/jmapl.22.00005
DO - 10.1680/jmapl.22.00005
M3 - Article
SN - 1751-4312
JO - Proceedings of The Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law
JF - Proceedings of The Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law
ER -
