An analysis of the relationship between project management and safety management in the Norwegian construction industry

• Project management aspects positively impact safety management performance in the construction industry. • Leadership and the functioning of teams are seen as key organisational aspects that impact safety management. • Safety management should be integrated in all management activities, not operating as a disconnected sub-system. • The relationships between project managment, safety management and safety performance are explored. • Project performance data and incident data from contruction projects across the industry are used in the analysis. The significance of general project management performance for safety performance in construction projects is studied in a sample of Norwegian construction projects. The data used are from a benchmarking tool for performance assessment and incident data from construction projects across the industry. Statistical analysis through independent-sample Mann–Whitney U -tests is performed to test for and identify significant relationships between project management, safety management and safety performance. The analysis confirms that good overall management of a construction project positively impacts safety management. The results advocate for applying safety management as an integral aspect of all management activities in a project rather than as a disconnected sub-system. The work is novel by empirically demonstrating the impact of project management aspects on safety management in construction projects.