Safety risk factors associated with a lean wood-framing prefabrication facility: a case study

The construction industry in North America has a disproportionate share of job-site incidents. Numerous studies have been performed to identify a multitude of macro and micro factors that impact the safety in construction workplaces. Prefabricated construction in North America is experiencing significant growth, evolving from a niche approach to a mainstream construction method. Due to advances in prefabrication, the construction sector is beginning to undergo a transformation, with favourable impacts on the safety of the construction workforce. Prefabrication has improved the safety and lifestyle of construction workers by lowering fatigue and reducing short- and long-term disability claims. However, despite these improvements, worker safety in prefabrication facilities still lags behind that of other industries operating in highly controlled environments. This paper systematically gathers and analyses safety incident data to identify risk factors associated with a wood-framing prefabrication facility that operates under lean principles. Mitigation measures are recommended to address the identified critical risk factors. The findings of this paper can serve as guidelines for addressing risk factors in similar wood-framing prefabrication facilities operating under lean manufacturing principles.