Prevention through Design (PtD) in AEC Programs: Educators’ Perspective

Abstract

The US construction industry has historically accounted for high numbers of occupational fatalities and injuries in comparison to other industry sectors. These large number of accidents taking place in the project sites can be attributed to decisions made during the design phase of the project. Recognizing the effect of the decisions adopted during the design phase on the safety of the construction workers falls under the broader concept of Prevention through Design (PtD). The concept of PtD requires the participation of designers/engineers in addressing safety and health hazards of the construction workers during the design phase. This raises the natural question whether the designers/engineers are adequately trained to take up the additional responsibilities. Review of the accrediting agencies’ requirements governing the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) programs revealed that the design programs are required to focus only on user safety, and construction programs are left to teach workers safety to their graduates. This paper presents the results of a survey to identify the educators’ knowledge about PtD and the extent of PtD incorporation in their programs. Consistent with the requirements of the accrediting agencies of the different disciplines, the responses varied among the different groups. While the construction educators are more aware of the PtD concepts and few of them are currently incorporating PtD in their curricula, the respondents identified an overall lack of training for them to teach PtD to their students. The outcome of the survey can be used by the AEC programs to expand their curricula to incorporate PtD concepts.