A Review of Safety Knowledge Sharing in the Construction Industry (2021-2025)

Abstract

Despite decades of work on safety initiatives, incidents of safety failure recur regularly in the construction field because critical safety knowledge is not being shared and shared effectively where it matters most, on-site. This systematic review examines the results of 41 studies published from 2021 to 2025 to clarify how safety knowledge sharing is currently taking place and why breakdowns persist. Using the tool PRISMA, the review finds widespread dependence on toolbox meetings, inductions, digital systems, and informal peer learning, but sees these practices as fragile because of 8 entrenched barriers: language and communication issues, poor organisational culture, digital fragmentation, loss of tacit knowledge, resource constraints, project discontinuity, psychological insecurity, and limited transferability across context. These barriers, taken together, negatively affect workers' willingness and ability to exchange functional safety knowledge. The review emphasizes the need for more than just procedures for meaningful knowledge sharing; it also calls for leadership support, a psychology of safety, integrated digital workflows, and mechanisms to retain experiential knowledge in temporary, high-turnover teams. The paper concludes with strategic recommendations for establishing learning- oriented safety cultures, as well as research opportunities, particularly in Malaysia, where empirical evidence remains scarce.