Tripartite collaboration for design for safety in construction: A co-creation framework integrating academia, industry, and government

• Article proposes a tripartite co-creation framework for design for safety (DfS). • Framework identifies six key collaboration areas based on challenges in DfS implementation. • Framework aligns academia, industry, and government roles for DfS implementation. Despite the growing recognition of Design for Safety (DfS) as a proactive approach to reducing construction-related accidents, its integration into practice remains inconsistent and fragmented. This study proposes a Tripartite Co-Creation Framework that aligns the strategic roles of academia, industry, and government (AIG) to institutionalize systematic DfS integration. Grounded in the Triple Helix model and structured through the Collective Impact (CI) framework, the study draws from a systematic literature review (SLR) of 96 peer-reviewed publications to identify six interrelated challenges impeding DfS adoption. These challenges are reframed into six strategic collaboration areas: (1) Cultivating a Safety-Oriented Mindset Through Education and Practice, (2) Financing Safety as a Shared Investment, (3) Regulatory Synchronization Through Multi-Stakeholder Governance, (4) Integrating Stakeholders for Proactive Design Collaboration, (5) Advancing Smart Design Through Digital Innovation, and (6) Enabling Adaptive Learning Through Research and Feedback. Each collaboration area is restructured into collaborative domains supported by five CI conditions; shared agenda, measurement systems, reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone support. The resulting framework delineates strategic roles and mutual responsibilities across AIG actors, offering actionable mechanisms for embedding DfS into their respective domain. The framework sets the foundation for future empirical validation and offers a scalable model for mainstreaming DfS in diverse construction ecosystems. The study contributes to DfS scholarship by offering a scalable and theoretically informed framework for coordinated systemic implementation.