E-OHS planning system for builders

Abstract

The ability to identify safety and health hazards as early as possible and implement good occupational health and safety (OHS) plans is vital to a project of any size. It is also a core requirement in OHS regulations. Nonetheless, developing effective OHS plans faces significant challenges, including large scopes of construction projects, skill shortages within construction professionals and abundance of OHS knowledge in unorganized formats. A web-based system was developed to implement a knowledge-based approach to OHS planning as a way of addressing these challenges. The system was then evaluated by its potential end users. The evaluation results suggest that the system (1) captures OHS knowledge from different sources and retains it in a single and easily accessible virtual location, (2) is capable of providing on-demand OHS planning information, (3) could help site staff with on-the-job learning of OHS skills and (4) could help minimize accidents on site and thereby save time and money for builders.

Keywords:

• Knowledge management
• occupational health and safety (OHS)
• OHS planning
• web-based systems