Enhancing Workplace Safety Management in the Construction Industry

Dear Colleagues,

The construction industry is considered one of the most hazardous industries because of its complex and dynamic workplaces. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that at least 60,000 people lose their lives in construction safety accidents each year, equating to one fatality every 10 min. In industrialized countries, the construction industry accounts for as many as 25–40% of workplace fatalities despite the sector employing only 6–10% of the workplace. Construction workers suffered a 3–4 times higher workplace fatality rate than workers in other sectors. In Hong Kong, of the 25 fatal workplace fatalities in 2014, 20 accidents (accounting for 80%) occurred in the construction industry. According to Safe Work Australia (SWA), the construction industry recorded 12% of workplace fatalities in Australia. The annual workplace fatalities in the construction industry accounted for about 21% of all workplace fatalities in 2020, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In mainland China, 734 cases of safety accidents occurred in the construction industry in 2021, with 840 workers losing their lives. Therefore, construction safety has become a global concern. Enhancing hazard control and safety management has been a top priority in the construction industry worldwide.

This Special Issue will provide insight into some of the latest developments in workplace safety management in the construction industry by presenting state-of-the-art research, developments, and innovations. Original contributions from both academia and engineering practice are encouraged. We look forward to receiving and reviewing your manuscripts for this Special Issue and discovering your insights into achieving the giant leap the sector must take!

Dr. Huihua Chen
Dr. Ming Shan
Dr. Qing’e Wang
Dr. Xiaoye Zeng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.