Health and Safety in Construction

Much of extant literature suggests that the ways in which large construction organisations manage health and safety can be transferred to small firms too. However, more recently a local study of five case study sites in the East Midlands in UK found that informality and authentic leadership are central to ’good’ health and safety practice in micro firms (companies that employ less than seven staff) and thus such firms should not be seen and considered as small big firms. We wish to study this development further, with particular focus on the current debate in the field which juxtapose bureaucrazy and common sense as two polar opposite ways forward to enhance management of health and safety at work. We foresee in-depth studies of small firms and investigations of how large firms could learn from this new knowledge. We are also interested in developing comparative international research to map out trends in managing health and safety in construction.