A Blockchain-Enabled Conceptual Framework for Near-Miss Management in the Construction Industry

Abstract

The safety problem is still a concern in the construction industry, and near-miss management has become one of the most important practices to improve construction safety. Despite good intentions, problems with near-miss management emerged. These included: a limited reporting rate of near misses, information fraud, the risk of being distorted or lost, and insufficient information sharing among construction stakeholders. These issues have an adverse impact on the effectiveness of near-miss management. Blockchain has the potential to be a reliable platform for near-miss management due to its decentralization, immutability, transparency, and autonomous enforcement of agreements with smart contracts. However, there has been limited investigation into the blockchain’s possibilities in near-miss management. To bridge this gap, this paper proposed a blockchain-enabled conceptual framework for near-miss management. The challenges of near-miss management and the potential of blockchain were discussed. An overall conceptual framework was created, which could help to record near-miss information in an immutable, transparent, traceable, and secure way.