Reporting procedure of construction accidents in Sri Lanka

Abstract

A cohesive and centralised recording system of occupational accidents is a significant element of construction industry of any country which requires an effective reporting procedure to feed information into it. It is a valuable management tool that can be used as an aid to risk assessment, to prevent deaths, injuries and ill health conditions, and to minimise costs for accidental losses. However, the absence of an effective reporting procedure will form shortfalls in management of occupational accidents. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that suffers from lack of an efficient recording system. It is revealed that ineffectiveness of existing accident reporting procedure is the main cause for this gap. Therefore, it created a necessity to study the existing reporting procedure of construction accidents in Sri Lanka with the aim of upgrading it by addressing its gaps. Accordingly, the research problem was approached through a document survey and an expert survey which followed by semi structured interviews. Ten experts who are involved in industrial health and safety management were interviewed. The findings revealed that safety representatives of most of the construction organisations reluctant to report to the Labour Department through the district factory inspecting engineer when incidents occur, due to unawareness of legal provisions and burden of paper work. Further, other organisations such as workmen’s compensation department; insurance companies; hospitals and police stations, where construction accidents are reported, are not properly linked with the Labour Department. Therefore, Labour Department as the ultimate data storekeeper does not get steady flow of information from any party. Owing to this, seven strategies were established to lift up the adeptness of the existing reporting system through establishing proper links for efficient information feeding.