An analysis of the relationship between project management and safety management in the Norwegian construction industry

The significance of general project management performance for safety performance in construction projects is studied in a sample of Norwegian construction projects. The data used are from a benchmarking tool for performance assessment and incident data from construction projects across the industry. Statistical analysis through independent-sample Mann-Whitney U-tests is performed to test for and identify significant relationships between project management, safety management and safety performance. The analysis confirms that good overall management of a construction project positively impacts safety management. The results advocate for applying safety management as an integral aspect of all management activities in a project rather than as a disconnected sub-system. The work is novel by empirically demonstrating the impact of project management aspects on safety management in construction projects.