Safety Education in the Curriculum of Construction Programs

Construction safety education will continue to attract the interests of construction educators, researchers, and industry professionals due to its immense influence on accident reduction and prevention. A well-educated workforce with a thorough understanding of safety requirements and procedures is needed to develop and apply effective safety and health programs as well as devise strategic means of preventing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities on construction projects. The objective of this research is to evaluate construction safety education in the curriculum of construction programs in the United States. An analysis of construction safety courses across accredited construction programs in the U.S. is conducted to synthesize important details and common themes. A nationwide characterization of the safety courses presented followed by an assessment selected a few programs as a pilot study. Critical elements of the courses such as course titles, course year, credit hours, topics covered, and alignment with professional certification or outreach training courses are characterized. Findings from the study reveal the similarities and variations that exist among safety courses taught in different construction programs in the U.S. These findings could result from several influencing factors, which could be the subject of further investigations geared toward improving safety education in construction programs.