The Economic and social impacts of construction site accidents in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Site accidents and damages have become a common occurrence worldwide with the construction industry’s dynamic and uncertain nature. Site accidents can lower overall productivity and performance in the industry while negatively impacting construction companies, their employees, and their families. Accordingly, the study aims to investigate the economic and social impacts of Construction Site Accidents in Sri Lanka. This study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, with the quantitative portion taking precedence over the qualitative data. The study used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences( SPSS) analysis of the questionnaire survey data and thematic analysis to analyse the semi-structured interviews. The research revealed that site accidents could result in higher insurance premiums, payments for settlements due to injuries or death of employees, and remedial efforts to prevent a recurrence of the disaster, all of which have significant financial consequences for businesses. The study also indicated that construction site accidents could degrade the company’s image and cause a loss of public confidence, as the most significant societal repercussions on the industry. Further, an increase in debt was identified as the most significant economic impact on society from site accidents. Losing the family breadwinner in a site accident was revealed to be the most harmful social impact on families. In Sri Lanka, remedies are in place for those who suffer from accidents by making them insured under Workman Compensation Policy. However, the benefits offered by these policies cannot be considered equitable to meet the family expenses, unlike social security granted by developed countries. Implementing safety and health rules, regulations and policies, training on personal protective equipment, conducting construction safety meetings, and recruiting trainee employees were some of the practices identified through the research findings. Recommendations of the study provided the most practical measures to minimise site accidents which negatively impact both the organisation and the affected families.