What is safety performance? A systematic review of conceptualizations in the construction safety research

• Four main typologies of safety performance conceptualizations: absence of undesirable events (loss-based), effectiveness of safety management systems, individual behaviors and collective practices, and mixed • The heterogeneity and lack of clear definitions contribute to ambiguity in construction safety research, posing challenges for communication and theory development. • The study reviews 231 scientific articles to identify different ways of defining, applying, and measuring safety performance in construction safety research. • Despite the ambiguity, the diversity of conceptualizations offers a broader range of measures for practitioners, emphasizing the need for awareness of these variations for effective communication and application. Safety performance is a critical concept in safety management and research across the construction industry. Effective safety management relies on an understanding of past, present, and expected performance to inform decision-making. Despite extensive research and practical applications in the construction industry, there is no consensus regarding how to conceptualize and measure safety performance. This study reviews 231 scientific articles to explore different definitions, applications, and measurements of safety performance in construction safety research. The findings reveal four main categories of safety performance concepts: loss-based, safety management-based, behavior-based, and mixed approaches. The lack of clear definitions and the heterogeneity of conceptualizations contribute to ambiguity in safety research, posing challenges for communication and theory development. However, this diversity also offers a broader range of measures for practitioners. Awareness of these variations is crucial for the effective communication and application of safety performance metrics in both research and practice.