Abstract:
Data from a number of industrialized countries show that construction workers are 3 to 4 times more
likely than other workers to die from accidents at work. In the developing world, the risks associated
with construction work may be 3 to 6 times greater. Construction is one of the world’s biggest
industrial sectors, including the building, civil engineering, demolition and maintenance industries
and in Oman it account 10% of the total GDP. Statistic indicates that a total of 723,000 residents were
working in construction industry in 2014. Construction workers build, repair, maintain, renovate and
demolish houses, office buildings, factories, hospitals, roads, bridges, tunnels, stadiums, docks,
airports and more. During the course of their work they are exposed to a wide variety of hazards on
the job, including dusts and vapours, asbestos, awkward working positions, heavy loads, adverse
weather conditions, work at heights, noise, vibration from tools, among many others. In most
developed countries, organizations have significantly reduced the risk of injuries and fatalities by
understanding the impact of construction safety on their performance. This involves the development
and implementation of construction safety rules and laws by the organizations itself and by authorities
responsible for this purpose. Such safety rules and laws are based on the studies of organization safety
cultural and post-accident investigations. Statistics indicates that worker deaths in America are down
on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 12 a day in 2014 and worker injuries and
illnesses are down from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 3.3 per 100 in 2013. This paper
presents the challenges and opportunities available for Oman to improve the construction safety
performance of the organization by developing and implementing standard safety rules and laws. The
research methodology includes the comparison of existing construction safety in Oman with some of
the developed countries. The paper further describe how Oman can improve construction safety by
developing specific safety rules and regulation and their enforcement through inspection of
construction site under an independent authority of health and safety.
