Vol. 13 No. 3 (2025): Business & Management Studies: An International Journal
Articles

The role of human resource management in implementing 'prevention through design' (PtD) strategies to enhance occupational health and safety in the construction industry: A thematic analysis approach

PDF
  • Umut Elbir
Umut Elbir
Dr., Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkiye

Published 2025-09-25

Keywords

  • Prevention through Design (PtD); Building Information Modelling (BIM); Virtual Reality (VR); Human Resource Management (HRM); Construction Safety
  • Tasarım Yoluyla Önleme (TYÖ); Yapı Bilgi Modellemesi (BIM); Sanal Gerçeklik (VR); İnsan Kaynakları Yönetimi (İKY); İnşaatta İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği (İSG)

How to Cite

The role of human resource management in implementing ’prevention through design’ (PtD) strategies to enhance occupational health and safety in the construction industry: A thematic analysis approach. (2025). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 13(3), 1391-1413. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v13i3.2571

Copyright (c) 2025 Umut Elbir

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

The role of human resource management in implementing ’prevention through design’ (PtD) strategies to enhance occupational health and safety in the construction industry: A thematic analysis approach. (2025). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 13(3), 1391-1413. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v13i3.2571

Abstract

Occupational health and safety (OHS) in the construction industry remains a critical challenge, with high rates of workplace accidents and injuries. Prevention through Design (PtD) offers a proactive approach to mitigating risks by integrating safety considerations at the design phase. However, the role of human resource management (HRM) in facilitating PtD remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating how HR professionals contribute to the implementation of PtD through strategic planning, training, and cross-functional collaboration. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected from 12 industry experts, including HR managers, safety officers, engineers, and site supervisors. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software, identifying six key themes: HR Involvement in PtD, Training and Competency Development, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Cultural and Organisational Barriers, Safety Culture Impact, and Measuring PtD Effectiveness. The findings reveal that early HR engagement in design planning enhances workforce readiness, training specificity, and the integration of safety culture. Despite these benefits, organisational resistance, hierarchical silos, and the lack of structured evaluation metrics hinder the full adoption of PtD. This study is novel in its focus on HR’s strategic role in PtD, offering insights for construction firms, policymakers, and regulatory bodies. The research highlights the need for HR-driven PtD frameworks, improved collaboration mechanisms, and standardised safety assessment models. Future studies should explore longitudinal impacts of HR-led PtD strategies and the role of digital tools such as BIM and VR in safety training. The study contributes to both academia and industry by emphasising the transformational role of HR in designing safer construction environments.

PDF

References

  1. Al-Bayati, A. J., Bazzi, K., Karakhan, A. A., & Jensen, E. (2024). Clearing the Path: Overcoming Barriers to Prevention through Design (PtD) Utilization in the US Construction Industry. Safety, 10(3), 74.
  2. Al-Bayati, A. J., Jensen, E. L. I. N., Eiris, R. I. C. A. R. D. O., & Abudayyeh, O. S. A. M. A. (2024). Integrating Prevention Through Design (PtD) Into Engineering Curricula. Proc. Int. Struct. Eng. Constr, 11.
  3. Aydoğan, S. Ö., & Uçan, R. (2022). İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliğinin Saha Gözetimi ve İş Ekipmanları Açısından İncelenmesi: Yapı Sektörü. Resilience, 6(1), 111-125.
  4. Ayduran, A. C., & Olcay, Z. F. (2022). İNŞAAT SEKTÖRÜ ÇALIŞANLARININ İŞ SAĞLIĞI VE GÜVENLİĞİ KÜLTÜRÜ DÜZEYLERİNİN, GÜVENLİ DAVRANIŞLARI ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİNİN İNCELENMESİ. Ergonomi, 5(2), 108-119.
  5. Bamidele, A. D., & Charles, A. O. Workplace and human resource safety monitoring using internet of things. Artificial Intelligence Research, 10(1), 64-74.
  6. Bayrak, E., Karan, T. Y., Karakaş, İ., Uçan, R., Bingöl, N., & Karahan, M. (2021). İnşaat sektöründe iş sağlığı ve güvenliğine yönelik olarak uygulanan eğitim metodlarının çalışan davranışlarına yansımasının incelenmesi. İSG Akademik, 3(1), 25-45.
  7. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  8. Burke, M. J., & Signal, S. M. (2010). Workplace safety: A multilevel, interdisciplinary perspective. In Research in personnel and human resources management (pp. 1-47). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
  9. Cao, Z., Chen, T., & Cao, Y. (2021). Effect of occupational health and safety training for Chinese construction workers based on the CHAID decision tree. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 623441.
  10. Chan, S. C., & Mak, W. M. (2012). High performance human resource practices and organizational performance: The mediating role of occupational safety and health. Journal of Chinese Human Resources Management, 3(2), 136-150.
  11. Che Ibrahim, C. K. I., Belayutham, S., Manu, P., & Mahamadu, A. M. (2021). Key attributes of designers' competency for prevention through design (PtD) practices in construction: a review. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 28(4), 908-933.
  12. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
  13. Çüçen, A., & Kurtoğlu, D. (2024). Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu Verilerine Göre İnşaat Sektöründe İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliğini Etkileyen Olayların İstatiksel Analiz Yöntemiyle İncelenmesi. Teknik Bilimler Dergisi, 14(2), 1-10.
  14. Erol, M., & Eraslan, E. (2024). Nesnelerin interneti, uygulama alanları ve iş sağlığı ve güvenliği ile etkileşimi. Journal of Turkish Operations Management, 8(1), 73-89.
  15. Farghaly, K., Collinge, W., Mosleh, M. H., Manu, P., & Cheung, C. M. (2022). Digital information technologies for prevention through design (PtD): a literature review and directions for future research. Construction Innovation, 22(4), 1036-1058.
  16. Garg, P. (2022). An exploration of occupational health and safety (OHS) competencies among general OHS professionals in New Zealand. Auckland University of Technology.
  17. Gözüak, M. H., & Ceylan, H. (2021). Türkiye’de inşaat sektöründe meydana gelen iş kazalarının iş sağlığı ve güvenliği bağlamında analizi: Güncel eğilimlere genel bir bakış. Sağlık Akademisyenleri Dergisi, 8(2), 133-143.
  18. Ismail, S., Che Ibrahim, C. K. I., Belayutham, S., & Mohammad, M. Z. (2022). Analysis of attributes critical to the designer’s prevention through design competence in construction: the case of Malaysia. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 18(3), 325-343.
  19. Ismail, S., Che Ibrahim, C. K. I., Belayutham, S., Mat Isa, C. M., Cheung, C., & Manu, P. (2024). Prevention through Design (PtD) educational elements in engineering, architectural and construction domain: a review. European Journal of Engineering Education, 49(6), 1265-1287.
  20. Jaafar, M. H., Arifin, K., Aiyub, K., Razman, M. R., Ishak, M. I. S., & Samsurijan, M. S. (2018). Occupational safety and health management in the construction industry: a review. International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics, 24(4), 493-506.
  21. Khalil, N., Samsudin, N. S., & Zainonabidin, A. (2022). The sustainable aspect of safety in architectural early design: an introduction to prevention through design (PtD) concept. International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering and Technology, 13(2), 34-50.
  22. Khan, S. (2023). Role of human resource policies in ensuring women's safety in the workplace. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 21(1), 13.
  23. Kineber, A. F., Antwi-Afari, M. F., Elghaish, F., Zamil, A. M., Alhusban, M., & Qaralleh, T. J. O. (2023). Benefits of implementing occupational health and safety management systems for the sustainable construction industry: a systematic literature review. Sustainability, 15(17), 12697.
  24. Lai, D. N., Liu, M., & Ling, F. Y. (2011). A comparative study on adopting human resource practices for safety management on construction projects in the United States and Singapore. International journal of project management, 29(8), 1018-1032.
  25. Melhem, M., Ateeq, A., Alzoraiki, M., & Beshr, B. (2024). Integrating occupational health and safety with human resource management: a comprehensive approach. In The AI Revolution: Driving Business Innovation and Research: Volume 1 (pp. 311-317). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  26. Mohandes, S. R., & Zhang, X. (2021). Developing a Holistic Occupational Health and Safety risk assessment model: An application to a case of sustainable construction project. Journal of Cleaner Production, 291, 125934.
  27. Mohandes, S. R., Abdelmageed, S., Hem, S., Yoo, J. S., Abhayajeewa, T., & Zayed, T. (2022). Occupational Health and Safety in Modular Integrated Construction projects: The case of crane operations. Journal of Cleaner Production, 342, 130950.
  28. Mok, I., Mackenzie, L., & Thomson, K. (2022). The experiences of human resource professionals in managing career development of an ageing workforce: a narrative thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 18(1), 67-83.
  29. Obeidat, M. S., Sarhan, L. O., & Qasim, T. Q. (2023). The influence of human resource management practices on occupational health and safety in the manufacturing industry. International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics, 29(4), 1279-1293.
  30. Okoye, P. U., Ezeokonkwo, J. U., & Ezeokoli, F. O. (2016). Building construction workers’ health and safety knowledge and compliance on site. Journal of Safety Engineering, 5(1), 17-26.
  31. Olcay, Z. F. (2021). İş sağlığı ve güvenliği kültürü ölçeği; geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Avrupa Bilim ve Teknoloji Dergisi, (23), 678-685.
  32. Öngel, G. (2022). İNŞAAT SEKTÖRÜ ÇALIŞANLARININ İŞ SAĞLIĞI ve GÜVENLİĞİ UYGULAMALARI HAKKINDAKİ GÖRÜŞLERİ. Elektronik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 21(84), 1632-1650.
  33. Pandey, B. R. (2024). Rethinking occupational health and safety principles—a systems perspective. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 1-22.
  34. Park, K. O. (2018). Human resource factors associated with workplace safety and health education of small manufacturing businesses in Korea. Journal of occupational health, 60(1), 94-101.
  35. Pham, T. T., Lingard, H., & Zhang, R. P. (2023). Factors influencing construction workers’ intention to transfer occupational health and safety training. Safety science, 167, 106288.
  36. Podayan, A., & Balakrishnan, C. (2025). A Review of Occupational Health and Safety Disclosures: Trends Identified through Structural Topic Modelling. Information Research Communications, 1(2), 83-103.
  37. Saks, A. M. (2022). Caring human resources management and employee engagement. Human resource management review, 32(3), 100835.
  38. Sánchez, F. A. S., Peláez, G. I. C., & Alís, J. C. (2017). Occupational safety and health in construction: a review of applications and trends. Industrial health, 55(3), 210-218.
  39. Segbenya, M., & Yeboah, E. (2022). Effect of occupational health and safety on employee performance in the Ghanaian construction sector. Environmental Health Insights, 16, 11786302221137222.
  40. Silalahi, R. L. R., Ryan, B., Cobb, S., & Houghton, R. (2021, April). A thematic analysis on work safety and ergonomics issues in Indonesian food-producing SMEs. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 733, No. 1, p. 012037). IOP Publishing
  41. Tetzlaff, E. J., Goggins, K. A., Pegoraro, A. L., Dorman, S. C., Pakalnis, V., & Eger, T. R. (2021). Safety culture: a retrospective analysis of occupational health and safety mining reports. Safety and health at work, 12(2), 201-208.
  42. Trillo-Cabello, A. F., Carrillo-Castrillo, J. A., & Rubio-Romero, J. C. (2021). Perception of risk in construction. Exploring the factors that influence experts in occupational health and safety. Safety Science, 133, 104990.
  43. Woolf, N. H., & Silver, C. (2018). Qualitative analysis using NVivo: The five-level QDA method. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315180918
  44. Zhang, M., Shi, R., & Yang, Z. (2020). A critical review of vision-based occupational health and safety monitoring of construction site workers. Safety science, 126, 104658.