Integrated communication, control, and command of construction safety and quality

Abstract

Two critical factors that site managers have to control during construction are safety and quality. We envisage that the emergence of information and communications technology (ICT) systems is of great use in effectively promoting safety and quality and exploiting the synergy between these two disciplines. The objectives of this research were to investigate the relationship between safety and quality through the application of ICT. A system of key safety and quality performance indicators was compiled in order to evaluate the potential benefits. Safety and quality leading indicators were recorded prior to and after intervention process using a mobile application for communication, control, and command of construction of safety and quality (C4). The results observed in the pilot study showed an improvement of 30% in quality and a reduction of 90% in unsafe activities during the implementation phase. These differences were tested using Student's t-test and found to be statistically significant at the level of 0.99. Integrated safety and quality leading indicators contributed to enhanced safety and quality and had a potential improvement of up to 90% in construction quality and up to 30% in construction safety. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge of the high potential of integrated quality and safety leading indicators in construction.