Abstract

Despite the construction industry being a key contributor to the economic development of any country, it is responsible for a high number of fatalities associated with poor health and safety measures executed at construction sites. In addition, hazardous built environments linked to unresponsive designs, poor quality control measures put at risk the health, well-being, and lives of construction workers, occupants and residents of the community. Whilst poor health and safety measures and the emergence of hazardous built environments are interrelated to poor ethical conduct, the ethical dimension of health and safety has been less explored. Therefore, this study aims to identify the significance of ethical conduct to enhance the health and safety of construction workers, occupants and residents of the community by conducting a systematic literature review. Using the PRISMA guidelines, 3409 articles published between 2003 - 2023 that examined Ethics and Professionalism in Construction were yielded from Scopus database. 23 journal papers and conference proceedings were screened, critically reviewed and analysed thematically. The findings revealed that bribery and corruption, negligence and misconduct, poorly written and implemented building codes and state-corporate crime are key ethical issues that directly contribute to poor health and safety in the construction industry. Furthermore, code of practice, building regulations, enforcement of legislation and attitudinal changes were recognised as means of overcoming ethical issues to enhance health and safety. This study highlights the duty of care in construction and contributes to addressing the health and safety of the construction industry from a multi-disciplinary perspective.