| Abstract | Purpose Construction sites are inherently prone to fire hazards due to the frequent use of flammable materials, dynamic environments and large workforces. However, research on fire safety in building construction remains fragmented, making it difficult to identify trends and challenges and resulting in knowledge gaps that limit effective strategies and innovations. This paper bridges these gaps through a comprehensive review that establishes the current state of knowledge and categorizes existing studies.
Design/methodology/approach A scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology was conducted. Scientific literature was collected from the Web of Science and Scopus, with 52 studies selected. Additionally, grey literature was sourced through web searches and relevant organization websites, with 16 documents selected.
Findings Four key categories were identified: (1) fire incident investigation, (2) fire risk assessment, (3) fire risk response planning and (4) monitoring and detection. The qualitative analysis highlights future research directions to advance this field, including (1) developing near-miss incident data collection platforms, (2) integrating digital twins for dynamic risk assessment, (3) integrating extended reality for fire safety training and (4) deploying robots and UAVs for flexible detection methods.
Practical implications The proposed conceptual map illustrates the interconnections among different measures, offering practitioners a holistic understanding of this field. Identified gaps and research directions can enhance awareness in this field and foster collaboration between researchers and other stakeholders.
Originality/value This study provides the first structured synthesis of fragmented research in this field, serving as a valuable reference for researchers and laying the groundwork for future research. |
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