Analysis of Visual Management Practices for Construction Safety

Lean Construction’s main goal is adding value to a project and minimizing waste. Accordingly, incidents that cause injuries or deaths are considered waste. This reveals the interdependent relationship between lean and safety. Here comes the importance of visual management (VM) as a way for communicating information using the right visual tools at the right time for the right situation in all construction projects. It is crucial as it improves efficiency, ensures transparency, establishes better communication and reduces safety risks. This paper highlights the importance of VM in the workplace for construction crews as well as its relation to safety. In this study, case studies and surveys conducted in Lebanon on building construction projects are presented, analyzed and discussed to show the need for VM by workers and engineers to avoid hazardous situations. Results indicate the importance of VM in maintaining safety, illustrate that poor visualization causes many accidents, and show that construction safety in Lebanon can be improved by enhancing VM practices.