The Safety Coordinator Functions and the Project Management Body of Knowledge - I compiti del coordinatore per la sicurezza in rapporto allo standard del Project Management Body of Knowledge

The function of the Safety Coordinator in Italian construction project is usually seen as a design and control function, but it is believed that really Safety Coordinator performs a more complex safety management function. The relationship between the PMBOK standard practice and the managing activities of the Safety Coordinator is detected, and Project Management processes applied for safety management are highlighted. Safety management of a construction project in Italy have to be performed by a specialized professional, the Safety Coordinator. The Safety Coordinator should design construction safety performance in the design phase, Safety Coordinator of the Design (SCD), and should control safety performance in the execution phase, Safety Coordinator of the Execution (SCE). Safety Coordinator tasks and objectives are strictly defined by Italian legislation but, after almost twenty years of construction safety law implementation, it is felt that few notes and observation should be done. In particular, the focus of the analysis is the management action as defined by the Project Management Guide of the PMI, the PMBOK. The evolution and the current wording of the Italian Legislation on Safety Management in construction is the starting point of the analysis. Main tasks, objectives and tools the Italian law grants Safety Coordinator are described and evaluated, while at the same time the Areas of Knowledge of Project Management that relate to the specific health and safety content are detected. The focus is on Project Management processes performed by Safety Coordinator, and on tools and methods of the PMI Knowledge Areas needed for the coordination function. From the study emerges a new view point of the Safety Coordinator, which is not only a design and control operator, but also a “complete” Production Manager and safety organizer