Safety engineering

Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: ROSA GIUSEPPINA CAPONETTO

Expected Learning Outcomes

Workplaces, and construction sites in particular, are complex and dynamic environments that bring together workers with diverse backgrounds and skill sets, where accidents are common. As the complexity of activities increases, safety has become a particularly critical aspect of the construction industry.

The course focuses on the effective management of safety throughout the design, construction, and maintenance phases, with an emphasis on construction site safety and attention to specific regulations and strategic management practices. It provides students with essential skills for hazard identification, risk assessment, and the development of comprehensive safety protocols. Students will develop the ability to identify site-specific risks during work planning, implement controls to prevent injuries and damage, and monitor practices to promptly address hazardous conditions.

Course Structure

Lectures on the course topics are scheduled. A practical exercise will be developed on the optimal organization of the construction site for safety purposes. In particular, the exercise involves developing the construction site layout and creating a Gantt chart for the safe organization of construction activities.

Visits to construction sites will be conducted.

Required Prerequisites

There are no curricular prerequisites for this course; however, knowledge of the main construction technologies is required, specifically regarding construction processes.

Attendance of Lessons

Attendance is not mandatory; however, since the practical exercise on the topics covered during the course will be conducted in the classroom, attendance is strongly recommended.

Detailed Course Content

Overview of Safety in the Construction Industry
Relevant Regulations (with particular reference to Italian legislation)
Safety Stakeholders and Supervisory Authorities
Types of Risks
Risk Assessment
Safety Documentation: DVR (Risk Assessment Document) / DUVRI (Single Document for the Assessment of Interference Risks) / Preliminary Notification / PSC (Safety and Coordination Plan) / POS (Operational Safety Plan) / Building File / PGE (Emergency Management Plan)
Construction Site Layout
Work Schedule / Project Timeline

Textbook Information

Course handouts
M. Rashad Islam, Construction Safety. Health, practices and OSHA, Mc Graw Hill, 2022
Patrick Manu, Gao Shang, Paulo Jorge Silva Bartolo, Valerie Francis, Anil Sawhney, Handbook of Construction Safety, Health and Well-being in the Industry 4.0 Era, Routledge, 2023
Reference regulations

Course Planning

	Subjects	Text References
1	Overview of Safety in the Construction Sector: 1h	· course handouts · Patrick Manu, Gao Shang, Paulo Jorge Silva Bartolo, Valerie Francis, Anil Sawhney, Handbook of Construction Safety, Health and Well-being in the Industry 4.0 Era, Routledge, 2023
2	Reference Regulations (with particular reference to Italian regulations) : 2h	· course handouts Reference regulations
3	Safety Actors and Regulatory Bodies: 2h	· course handouts · Reference regulations
4	Types of Risk: 12h	· course handouts · M. Rashad Islam, Construction Safety. Health, practices and OSHA, Mc Graw Hill, 2022 · Reference regulations
5	Risk Assessment: 2h	· course handouts · M. Rashad Islam, Construction Safety. Health, practices and OSHA, Mc Graw Hill, 2022 · Reference regulations
6	Safety Documentation	· course handouts · Reference regulations
7	Construction Site Layout: 3 h	· course handouts · Reference regulations
8	Work Schedule: 2 h	· course handouts · Reference regulations
9	Exercise: design of the construction site layout: 30h
10	Exercise: creation of the Gantt chart: 30h
11	Site visits: 5h

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

An oral exam is scheduled, focusing on the topics covered during the lectures, which will also include the assessment of the practical exercise developed throughout the course.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

Risk assessment;
Types of risks present on the construction site;
Workers' obligations.

Degree Course in

Construction Management and Safety