Factors affecting the psychological health of foreign workers in the Saudi construction industry

Abstract

The Saudi construction industry is considered as the fastest growing and largest sector in the Gulf region with ongoing construction projects valued at US$475 billion. The booming construction sector in Saudi Arabia portrays a positive impression. However, the occupational health and safety (OHS) situation paints a different picture. Particularly, the psychological health of foreign workers is at a great risk due to the unfavourable work conditions they are faced with. The OHS related studies conducted in this region so far have focused on technical, managerial and physical aspects of safety and have neglected the psychological health of foreign construction workers. This indicates an urgent need for research into this area. Hence, this research explored what factors affect the psychological health of migrant workers in the Saudi construction industry. An interview survey with 30 experts from the Saudi construction industry and other relevance sectors were conducted. A thematic analysis of the data collected from the interviews identified several critical factors that affect the psychological health of foreign construction workers, including: low wage; delay of payment; withholding workers passports; mistreatments by supervisors; long shifts without breaks; lack of vacations; poor accommodations conditions; and disregard for mental health of workers. The study lays the foundation for establishing a mechanism to combat the factors that deteriorate the psychological health of foreign workers in the Saudi construction industry.