Intersection between Lean Construction and Safety Research: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Occupational accidents are wasteful and non-value-adding (NVA) events in any form of production system. Since Lean principles aim to reduce NVA elements of work processes, it follows that safeguarding construction workers from occupational hazards would be a natural outcome of the Lean Construction ideal of waste elimination. A literature review of the conference proceedings of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), from 1998 to 2008, was conducted to summarize the research pertaining to safety management. A search of key words pertaining to safety was employed to identify seventeen articles that addressed safety management and its relationship to lean construction principles and practices.