Development of a Comprehensive Management Framework for Design for Safety

Design for Safety (DfS) offers a proactive strategy to address hazards during design to reduce accidents and ill health during construction, operations, maintenance, and demolition activities. However, current DfS regulations only provide broad duties and requirements, while DfS reviews operate as an isolated process that lacks a systemic approach. Hence, a critical gap exists in adopting a systems approach to DfS, where interconnected elements work cohesively to clearly define DfS goals and iteratively plan, execute, review, and improve the system to achieve better safety outcomes. Existing workplace safety and health management systems do not adequately address DfS requirements in sufficient detail, highlighting the need for a specialized framework. This research develops a comprehensive DfS management framework (DfSMF) through mixed-methods analysis of 61 peer-reviewed articles. The study identifies 25 critical success factors organized into nine elements mapped to ISO 45001. The three most significant elements, E3 Capability Support (contributing 19.58% to the total importance of the framework), E2 DfS Planning (17.57%), and E1 Leadership, Commitment, and Engagement (16.45%), collectively constitute over half of the total weighted importance score, demonstrating that human factors and systematic planning form the foundation of effective DfS implementation. The remaining elements include E8 Performance Evaluation, E6 System Support, E7 Design Risk Management, E9 Improvement, E5 DfS Tools Support, and E4 Resources, which serve as enablers rather than primary drivers of effective DfS. This evidence-based framework offers practical guidelines for effective management and continual improvement of DfS. The DfSMF transforms the current fragmented DfS approach into a holistic management system that enhances DfS outcomes and project performance.