The Integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Prevention Through Design (PtD) Towards Safety in Construction: A Review

The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Prevention through Design (PtD) concept is a proactive initiative towards facilitating the visualisation of safety features for designers to minimise risk and hazards at early design phases. Despite the explicit benefits of both BIM and PtD, studies focusing on the BIM-PtD integration remain elusive. This research aims to explore the potential of adopting BIM in the PtD approach with the role of designers incorporating safety measures in their design solution. The research firstly identified the link between BIM capabilities and the PtD concept for designers to incorporate safety elements in their design through optimising use of BIM capabilities. The methodology of this study is by linking BIM capabilities and PtD principles through literatures pertaining to the area of safety and BIM in construction research, established by perception by the designer on how to use BIM to incorporate safety design. A number of papers on safety with PtD concept and BIM with safety were screened, reviewed, and critically discussed, subsequently highlighting the roles and obligation of the designers to implement PtD by using BIM. Findings from the literature was further validated through a pilot interviews with designers in Malaysia, who have been using BIM to implement safety in design of construction projects. Finally, the concept BIM-PtD for the designer to implement design for safety is proposed to fulfil their obligation over the whole construction project lifecycle; and is known as the attributes of BIM-PtD for designers. The significance of BIM-PtD attributes will enhance the designers’ understanding on how to incorporate safety elements in their design solution that could further benefit all the stakeholders in construction projects.