"This finding served as the impetus for the present study, which aimed to identify and evaluate the safety and health risks associated with the design elements and construction management practices implemented to achieve LEED certification. To explore this topic, six detailed case studies and two validation case studies were conducted following a strict protocol developed from guiding literature.
The results indicate that:
(1) workers on LEED construction projects are exposed to work at height, with electrical current, near unstable soils, and near heavy equipment for a greater period of time than on traditional projects;
(2) workers are exposed to new high risk tasks such as constructing atria, installing green roofs, and installing photovoltaic (PV) panels; and
(3) some credits result in a positive impact on construction worker safety and health when low VOC adhesives and sealants are specified. It is expected that these results can be used by practitioners to focus attention and resources on new high risk work environments.
Identification of Safety Risks for High Performance Sustainable Construction ProjectsJournal of Construction Engineering and Management doi:10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000446
