Virtual community of safety practice for construction organisations

Communities of practice provide a platform for sharing know-how knowledge and experiences amongst employees within an organisation. They could offer a great deal of opportunities and potentials for improving the occupational health and safety performance of builders. However, because construction projects are remote and scattered, and each project has its set completion schedule and progress status, interactions between employees of a construction organisation is minimal. It is nearly impractical to establish a group of professionals from different construction sites who could meet on a regular basis to share safety related experiences and information. Nonetheless, the formation of virtual communities of practice, departing from the conventional model, would alleviate the impediments caused by geographical, time and work pressure constraints. This paper discusses the development of a virtual community of safety practice (VCoSP) for construction organisations, leveraging on the power of web 2.0 technologies. The implementation of VCoSP within a construction organisation could bring about numerous benefits, including: nurturing a strong safety culture within the organisation and helping site professionals continually improve safety competency.