Why DfCS is Important

The injury and fatality rates in construction are so high that all parties—including owners, design professionals, contractors, subcontractors and material vendors—must proactively attempt to reduce injuries to the extent that is feasible for them.

Although typical contract terms clearly state that designers are not responsible for the safety of construction workers, nearly all designers would feel an ethical obligation to take action to prevent a serious injury to a construction worker if the hazard was imminent and obvious to the designer. Shouldn’t designers feel a similar ethical obligation to take reasonable actions to prevent injuries that are not as imminent or obvious?

Having a lower accident rate on a construction project should be added to the list of universal project goals, such as low cost, high quality and fast completion time. All designers agree their decisions affect the cost, quality and duration of a construction project. Shouldn’t designers also recognize that their design decisions affect the inherent risk to the workers constructing the project? There is a principle in quality management that quality must be “designed in”. This principle also applies to safety: safety must be designed into a project.

In addition to ethical duties, there are practical reasons for each party in a construction project to encourage or participate in DfCS. Subcontractors and general contractors that self-perform work have several practical reasons to encourage DfCS: it reduces accident rates, thereby reducing workers’ compensation insurance rates, and increases project productivity. All owners benefit from reducing the risk that one or more construction accidents will delay project completion dates. Owners who have owner-controlled insurance programs (OCIPS) will also benefit financially from the lower accident rates that DfCS provides. Designers who perform DfCS can use this fact to market themselves as progressive, team-oriented professionals. Designers who are part of design-build teams should benefit financially from the reduced accident rates experienced during construction.