Health and safety in the construction industry: a scoping review of challenges and emerging technologies

Abstract

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) remain major concerns in the construction industry, which continues to report high numbers of accidents, injuries, and fatalities worldwide. Despite the availability of modern safety practices and advanced technologies, the industry still struggles to maintain safe working conditions. The current review adopts the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology and is reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. Three stages of screening were carried out and finally 76 articles were selected for this study. This review paper aims to understand the key causes of safety issues and explores various strategies to reduce risks on construction sites. It examines common hazards, such as falls, electrocutions, and equipment-related incidents, along with the factors that contribute to them—including poor safety culture, worker fatigue, inadequate training, and weak management support. The paper highlights the growing role of technology in improving safety, including the use of IoT devices, Building Information Modeling (BIM), robotics, and virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR). These innovations offer promising solutions for real-time monitoring, immersive training, and risk prediction. Based on the findings, several practical recommendations are proposed to enhance safety culture, update regulations, improve management practices, and invest in continuous training. While technology holds great potential, its success depends on proper implementation and organizational commitment. This study provides a critical overview about the current state of modern safety technologies in construction industry. It highlights the significance of integration of these technologies into construction industry to improve safety. Finally, it provides a foundation for future research and offers insights for policymakers, industry professionals, and researchers aiming to build safer construction environments. The findings of this review contribute to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by highlighting strategies and emerging technologies aimed at improving occupational health and safety in the construction industry.