Safety risk quantification and mitigation for high performance sustainable building construction

Recent studies have found that LEED buildings have a higher injury rate than non-LEED buildings and there are fourteen LEED credits that increase risk for construction workers. The present study had two main goals: 1) quantify the perceived percent increase in safety risk resulting from the design strategies and construction methods implemented to earn specific LEED credits and 2) identify risk mitigation strategies and construction safety management techniques for high performance sustainable projects. The results indicate that fourteen LEED credits for new construction increase the frequency of injuries or exposure to known risks. The results also provide feasible prevention through design and construction safety management strategies to mitigate safety risk for design and construction methods used to achieve the LEED credits. Practitioners may use findings to enhance safety for construction workers, an aspect of sustainability that is not currently addressed in the LEED program.