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Healthcare organizations have been facing challenges due to high costs and low efficiency in health services. The growth of costs and losses caused by avoidable mistakes lead to the search for solutions, and Health Lean Management appears as a potential solution to help in solving service quality problems, as well as reducing risks. This study aims to analyse the state of the art in the literature centred on the Lean approach in the context of risk management in healthcare organizations, and to identify new research opportunities, highlighting possible lines of future research.

Following a systematic literature review approach, 51 papers were considered relevant for this research, and reviewed to explore the development of literature in this area.

Based on the results, five main research streams were identified: (1) risk management oriented towards patient safety; (2) risk management oriented towards employee safety; (3) importance of attitudes and behaviours in risk reduction projects; (4) Lean tools used in healthcare risk management and (5) Integration of approaches. Moreover, several shortcomings were identified in literature.

Identified shortcomings represent significant opportunities for further research development.

This study demonstrates how becoming a high-reliability institution in health care is a priority, given the high-risk environment in which an error can result in harm. Literature conceptually supports the need for highly reliable health care facilities but does not show a comprehensive approach to operationalizing the concept into the daily workforce to support patients. The Veterans Health Administration closes the gap by documenting a case study that not only demonstrates specific actions and functions that create a high-reliability organization (HRO) for safety and improvement but also created a learning organization by spreading the knowledge to other facilities.

The authors instituted a methodology consisting of assessments, training and educational simulations to measure, establish and operationalize activities that identified and prevented harmful events. Visual communication boards were created to facilitate team huddles and discuss improvement ideas. Improvements were then measured and analyzed for purposeful outcomes and return on investment (ROI).

HRO can be operationalized successfully in health care systems. Measurable outcomes verified that psychological safety was achieved through the identification and participation of 3,184 process improvement projects over a five-year period, which yielded a US$2.8m ROI. Documented processes and activities were used for educational teachings, which were disseminated to other Veteran Affairs Medical Center’s through the Truman HRO Academy.

This case study is limited to one hospital in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) network. As the VHA continues to deploy the methods outlined to other hospitals, the authors will perform incremental data collection and ongoing analysis for further validation of the HRO methods and operations. Hospitalists can adapt the methods in the case study for practical application in a health care setting outside of VHA. Although the model is rooted in health care, the methods may be adapted for use in other industries.

This case study overcomes the limitations within literature regarding operationalizing HRO by providing actual activities and demonstrations that can be implemented by other health care facilities.

With increasing complexity of construction projects and new construction processes and methods are adopted, more safety hazards are emerging at construction sites, requiring the application of the modern risk management methods. As an emerging technology, digital twin has already made valuable contributions to safety risk management in many fields. Therefore, exploring the application of digital twin technology in construction safety risk management is of great significance. The purpose of this study is to explore the current research status and application potential of digital twin technology in construction safety risk management.

This study followed a four-stage literature processing approach as outlined in the systematic literature review procedure guidelines. It then combined the quantitative analysis tools and qualitative analysis methods to organize and summarize the current research status of digital twin technology in the field of construction safety risk management, analyze the application of digital twin technology in construction safety risk management and identify future research trends.

The research findings indicate that the application of digital twin technology in the field of construction safety risk management is still in its early stages. Based on the results of the literature analysis, this paper summarizes five aspects of digital twin technology's application in construction safety risk management: real-time monitoring and early warning, safety risk prediction and assessment, accident simulation and emergency response, safety risk management decision support and safety training and education. It also proposes future research trends based on the current research challenges.

This study provides valuable references for the extended application of digital twin technology and offers a new perspective and approach for modern construction safety risk management. It contributes to the enhancement of the theoretical framework for construction safety risk management and the improvement of on-site construction safety.

This study aims to provide a new perspective and path to reduce the unsafe behavior of new generation of construction workers (NGCWs) in China. The purpose of this study is to explore the influencing mechanism of work-family balance on the unsafe behavior of NGCWs and test the mediating effect of job satisfaction and the moderating effect of group safety climate.

A theoretical model on the influencing mechanism of work-family balance on unsafe behavior of NGCWs was constructed through theoretical analysis. Research data were collected from 502 NGCWs via a questionnaire survey, and research hypotheses were testified with regression analysis.

The results show that work-family balance not only directly reduces NGCWs’ unsafe behavior but also indirectly reduces it through job satisfaction, which plays a partial mediating role. In addition to positively moderating the relationship between work-family balance and NGCWs’ unsafe behavior, group safety climate can also moderate the relationship between work-family balance and job satisfaction in a positive way.

This study provides practical implications for construction companies to reduce the unsafe behaviors of NGCWs from the perspective of work-family balance. Specifically, construction companies should adopt more flexible work rules, such as flexible organization and rotation systems, to increase their work autonomy. Meanwhile, construction companies need to improve the work environment and basic conditions for NGCWs, establish a reasonable salary system and provide attractive promotion opportunities to increase their job satisfaction. In addition, construction companies should provide active safety lectures and training, and supervisors should improve safety communication and interaction levels. Co-workers should remind workers about their safety attitudes and behaviors promptly. A good group safety climate will be created through the efforts of construction companies, supervisors and co-workers.

This study clarifies the influencing mechanism of work-family balance on the NGCWs’ unsafe behavior and further tests the partial mediating role of job satisfaction and the positively moderating effect of group safety climate on the influence relationship of work-family balance on job satisfaction and NGCWs’ unsafe behavior, which defines the boundary conditions of the relationship between work-family balance and NGCWs’ unsafe behavior, and promotes the effective integration of social exchange theory and theoretical system of influencing mechanism of construction workers’ unsafe behavior.

Effective safety communication facilitates the sharing of relevant knowledge that helps to improve safety behaviours, such as superior hazard identification and compliance. This study aims to explore channels by which construction companies can effectively communicate health and safety (H&S) among communities of their operations.

Based on a quantitative research approach, this study addressed the knowledge gap through a cross-sectional survey of 250 contractors (comprising 155 building and 95 road contractors) involved in various projects in the Ghanaian construction industry. These contractors were selected by using a stratified simple random sampling technique. Data obtained from the survey was analysed through descriptive (i.e. frequencies, mean and standard deviation) and inferential (i.e. exploratory factor analysis) statistical analyses.

The findings from the mean scores revealed that all the 12 communication channels identified in the literature, confirmed through piloting and examined by the respondents, were important channels through which construction companies can effectively communicate H&S amongst communities of their operations. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a clustering of the 12 channels of communication into 5 components: “safety demonstration in the community”; “social media”; “mass media”; “community engagement”; and “opinion leaders”.

This study offers construction project managers the means of managing one of the major stakeholders of a construction project (the community). It provides an actionable opportunity that can be leveraged strategically to integrate community members into projects to promote synergy and local content inclusion while gaining a peaceful atmosphere to achieve their project goals.

Practically, this study provides construction project managers with a means of managing one of the major stakeholders of a construction project (the community) and also demonstrates the integration of community members into projects to promote synergy and local content inclusion. This would give construction organisations a peaceful atmosphere to accomplish their project objectives.

The social implication of this study is that the study offers society a means of creating safer Ghanaian communities by offering them the knowledge of identifying hazards and avoiding risky behaviours, creating a good safety atmosphere in these communities.

This study presents construction organisations with a unique opportunity to transfer and share novel external knowledge within a different social system (the community). It contributes to the state-of-the-art knowledge in H&S communication by providing channels through which H&S can be communicated in a developing country such as Ghana.

The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique glimpse into the resilience of construction projects, shedding light on several learning opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to develop propositions for the improvement of resilient performance in construction in the post-pandemic era.

The propositions were developed based on an empirical study in Brazil. Data collection involved the analysis of regulations, interviews with health experts, managers, and workers, in addition to non-participant observations of the use of 37 control practices in 39 construction sites comparing the work-as-imagined and the work-as-done. The practices were classified in a hierarchy of controls.

Seven propositions for the improvement of resilient performance were developed, addressing collaboration between construction companies, slack resources, new health and safety practices, production planning and control, digital technologies, visual management, and organizational culture. These propositions emphasize organizational support for resilience. This is in contrast to the nature of most observed practices (57%) that relied on administrative controls and personal protective equipment, which are measures dependent on behaviors that resemble resilience at the individual level.

Although much has been studied on COVID-19 implications for construction projects, previous empirical studies have not adopted the organizational resilience perspective as the main theoretical background.

The fluctuation of construction fatalities is influenced by both urbanization and economic levels. This study aims to understand the impact of Chinese construction economy development on construction accidents, providing valuable insights for enhancing construction safety and promoting sustainable development in construction.

The Kuznets curve model, multiple linear regression model, and data envelopment analysis (DEA) model are employed to process data sets spanning from 1992 to 2021 for examining the relationship between construction fatalities and the construction economy in China.

Significant correlations have been found between construction fatalities and the construction economy in China. Over the past three decades, as the total output value of construction increased, there have been upward, downward, and downward trends in per capita construction area, the mortality rate per million square meters, and the mortality rate per ten thousand persons respectively. However, it is worth noting that since 2015, there has been a slight upward trend in the fitted U-shaped curve depicting the relationship between the mortality rate per ten thousand persons and the construction economy. This specific trend necessitates the attention of construction safety policymakers. The growth of the construction economy is found to exhibit negative, positive, and positive correlations with the number of construction fatalities, construction area, and the number of employed persons respectively. The changing trends observed in the Kuznets curve model analysis align with the evaluation results obtained from the DEA-based model.

The research offers effective means to identify superior and inferior performance in macro construction safety, providing valuable references for construction safety policymakers to design effective safety strategies and enhance work safety conditions.

In alignment with the European Union’s Vision Zero initiative to eliminate road fatalities by 2050, leveraging technological advancements becomes crucial for addressing the challenges of vulnerable road users (VRUs), and for mitigating the impact of human error. Despite increasing scholarly interest in applications of extended reality (XR), a research gap persists, particularly in the role of XR in transportation safety. Therefore, the aim of the study was to fill this gap through a systematic literature review to evaluate comprehensively the potential scope and practical applicability of XR technologies in enhancing the safety of VRUs.

A systematic review was undertaken, following PRISMA guidelines meticulously, in which 80 relevant articles from databases, such as Scopus and Science Direct, were identified and analysed.

The results of the analysis revealed the potential of XR beyond pedestrians and cyclists, and highlighted a lack of research about the impact of XR with regard to the personal traits or abilities of VRUs. The results of a thorough analysis confirmed the potential of XR as a promising solution for an approach to collaborative co-creation in addressing the safety challenges of VRUs. In addition, the integration of eye-tracking with virtual reality emerged as a promising innovation for enhancing the safety of vulnerable road users.

Theoretical implications include enhancing the understanding of applications of XR in VRUs’ safety and providing insights into future research possibilities and methodological approaches. Valuable insights into search strategies and inclusion-exclusion criteria can guide future research methodologies.

Practically, the findings from the study offer insights to assist urban planners and transportation authorities in incorporating XR technologies effectively for VRUs safety. Identifying areas for further development of XR technology could inspire innovation and investment in solutions designed to meet the safety needs of VRUs, such as enhanced visualisation tools and immersive training simulations.

The findings of previous research underscore the vast potential of XR technologies within the built environment, yet their utilisation remains limited in the urban transport sector. The intricacies of urban traffic scenarios pose significant challenges for VRUs, making participation in mobility studies hazardous. Hence, it is crucial to explore the scope of emerging technologies in addressing VRUs issues as a pre-requisite for establishing comprehensive safety measures.

Computer vision (CV) offers a promising approach to transforming the conventional in-person inspection practices prevalent within the construction industry. However, the reliance on centralized systems in current CV-based inspections introduces a vulnerability to potential data manipulation. Unreliable inspection records make it challenging for safety managers to make timely decisions to ensure safety compliance. To address this issue, this paper proposes a blockchain (BC) and CV-based framework to enhance safety inspections at construction sites.

This study adopted a BC-enhanced CV approach. By leveraging CV and BC, safety conditions are automatically identified from site images and can be reliably recorded as safety inspection data through the BC network. Additionally, by using this data, smart contracts coordinate inspection tasks, assign responsibilities and verify safety performance, managing the entire safety inspection process remotely.

A case study confirms the framework’s applicability and efficacy in facilitating remote and reliable safety inspections. The proposed framework is envisaged to greatly improve current safety inspection practices and, in doing so, contribute to reduced accidents and injuries in the construction industry.

This study provides novel and practical guidance for integrating CV and BC in construction safety inspection. It fulfills an identified need to study how to leverage CV-based inspection results for remotely managing the safety inspection process using BC. This work not only takes a significant step towards data-driven decision-making in the safety inspection process, but also paves the way for future studies aiming to develop tamper-proof data management systems for industrial inspections and audits.

This paper systematically reviewed research work on drivers of teamwork, which will reinforce construction work teams to enhance workers’ safety performance. This study adds to the existing but limited understanding of teamwork drivers on construction workers’ safety performance. This paper presents scholars and industry-based professionals with critical initiatives that have to be implemented in organisations to get positive results in safety while working in teams with an emphasis on systems drivers of teamwork on safety performance at the organisational level, which will help in providing information on the functioning of the teams and contribute towards improved safety performance of team workers.

This study aims to systematically examine the existing body of knowledge on drivers of teamwork by analysing 53 publications from the years 1997–2021. The Scopus search engine was used to conduct a systematic review and germane publications were collated.

According to the findings of the review, since 1997, there has been a burgeoning concern in the research of drivers of teamwork and its impact on workers’ safety performance. After performing a systematic review, 37 drivers of teamwork were identified. The top five drivers are effective communications, team workers’ relations, leadership, shared knowledge and information, and team training. Moreover, it was noted that the United States and Australia have been the international regions of focus for most of the research in the area of drivers of teamwork from the years 1997–2021. The 37 drivers of teamwork are distributed into six major socio-technical components: people drivers; culture drivers; metrics drivers; organisational and management practices and procedures drivers; infrastructure drivers and technology drivers.

The results reported present research scholars and professional practitioners with an overview of the drivers of teamwork that could be implemented in the construction industry to streamline potential implementations and improve safety performance of construction workers.

A list of teamwork drivers has been developed to ratify potential empirical research in the area of construction safety. The results would contribute to the existing but restricted understanding of drivers of teamwork in the construction industry.