Review of construction safety research methods: integrating theory and practice

This paper reviewed the research methods used by the construction safety articles published in the five high-ranked international journals and the CIB W99 international conference proceedings in, 2009. In total, 561 papers were published by these journals and proceedings, in which 88 are related to construction safety. These 88 papers were classified according to the research methods adopted. It was found that nearly half the papers (43.2%) used quantitative methods while about a quarter (23.9%) applied qualitative methods and very few (9.1%) adopted mixed methods research while the rest used other forms of research methods. The shortcomings of the research methods currently adopted are discussed together with the possible reasons of minimum impact of these research outcomes on construction safety management practice. After describing the nature of construction safety practices which includes safety knowledge development and safety learning processes, a mixed methods research which integrates the realms of theory and practice is proposed for conducting construction safety research. It is suggested that researchers should find opportunities to collaborate with practitioners in conducting construction safety research to ensure the relevancy and application of research findings such that to improve both safety management practices and theory development.