Hawaii Green Building Law

According to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), some of the benefits of green buildings are improved productivity and satisfaction, enhanced comfort and health and increased quality of life. According to a new study entitled “Impact of Green Building Design and Construction on Worker Safety and Health,” however, improved health and safety may not be flowing to construction workers involved with sustainable buildings.

The study compiled survey responses from seven construction firms which provided data on 86 building projects constructed or in progress
in the period from 2000 to 2006. The study concluded that there appears to be little or no difference between green and nongreen projects in terms of construction worker safety and health. The study further notes:

Because no difference in safety performance is experienced, LEED projects are perhaps sustainable environmentally
but not sustainable in terms of worker safety and health. The writers believe that, similar to end-user safety and health, construction workers safety and health must be considered if a project is to be labeled as sustainable.

Previous posts discussed liability issues surrounding unsafe working conditions and the methods that some sustainable building projects are implementing to improve worker safety and health.

Currently LEED and Green Globes credits are not awarded for the implementation of health and safety programs for construction workers. Nevertheless, safety training is an integral part of developing a skilled green collar workforce and it will be interesting whether green building certification programs begin awarding credits based on increased worker health and safety.

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