Enhancing Safety Performance in the U.S. Multi-Employer Construction Projects Through Integrated Digital Safety Governance Frameworks for Injury and Fatality Prevention

Abstract

The construction industry in the United States continues to experience high rates of fatalities and serious injuries, particularly on multi-employer projects where fragmented accountability and coordination challenges complicate safetymanagement. Although regulatory frameworks established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) exist, traditional paper-based compliance systems remain inadequate for managing dynamic site hazards. This study evaluates the effectiveness of integrated digital safety governance frameworks in improving construction safety performance. The frameworks encompass Safety Leadership and Accountability, Contractor Prequalification and Selection, Risk Management and Hazard Control, Training, Monitoring and Auditing, Incident Reporting and Investigation, Communication and Coordination, Regulatory Compliance, KPI Tracking, Corrective and Preventive ActionManagement, and Documentation and Recordkeeping.The analysis was conducted on 47 large-scale construction projects across six U.S. states, representing approximately $8.7 billion in project value and more than 34,000 workers. Projects implementing integrated digital systems combining Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, mobile reporting platforms, blockchainbased compliance tracking, and analytics dashboards demonstrated significantly improved safety outcomes. Compared with projects using conventional safety management approaches, digitally governed projects achieved a 43% reduction in Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) and a 67%reduction in near-miss incidents. Hazard communication latency decreased by 82%, while corrective action implementation time improved by an average of 27.4 hours.The findings identify leadership commitment, platform interoperability, and workforce digital literacy as critical success factors for implementation. Overall, the study demonstrates that integrated digital governance frameworks enhance real-time risk visibility, strengthen regulatorycompliance, improve inter-organizational coordination, and significantly reduce safety risks in multi-employer construction environments.