Importance of client presence for safety in renewable energy construction and rehabilitation projects

Abstract

The construction industry is known to be hazardous for its workers, being the industry with one of the highest injury rates. A number of studies show that leadership engagement in construction projects influence safety, however, the importance of how the client management role is carried out with regards to physical presence over time during construction has not been in focus. The aim of the study is to understand how safety is influenced by the presence of client personnel on construction sites related to renewable energy and the effects of their presence. Insights from both the client and contractor perspectives are provided, based on eighteen semi-structured interviews. The results show that degree of presence is determined by the project managers in early stages of the projects and this decision is based on factors such as economy risk assessment, knowledge transfer and projects size and complexity. Three main factors that stem from client’s presence are found to influence safety; i) increased monitoring which leads to higher risk awareness, ii) increased local knowledge which leads to identifying valuable solutions to issues and iii) shorter communication paths reduce uncertainty and positively impacts progress. Identified challenges regarding client’s presence are related to over-involvement and becoming blind to hazards. In conclusion, the client personnel’s onsite presence is important for creating a shared understating between client and contractor of safety issues, something that is not possible through remote collaboration, and especially important when projects increase in complexity.