Lean construction and health and safety on site: Analysed in a planning and empowerment perspective

This paper presents experience gained by using Lean Construction in the construction industry and reveals its present impact on health and safety on site. Lean Construction represents a new way to manage, plan and coordinate construction projects and can be seen as a new management concept. Lean Construction used on site in Denmark was studied with a focus on the importance of, and interaction with, health and safety. The study applied theories of knowledge management and literature dealing with construction safety management. The measurements were carried out by studying two different cases on site. The construction sites were observed over a six-month period by applying the methods: observation, documentation and interviews. Production and health and safety are often seen as two separate areas with different key actors. They are reflected and handled as two different management areas with their own embedded management problems. Common to both areas are the dialectics between respectively, planning and self-governance, infrastructure and culture, and control and empowerment. It is concluded that 1) Lean Construction can support safety infrastructure, 2) Lean Construction needs a construction manager to support empowerment, 3) under-empowerment safety culture can push towards increased self-governance.