Obligation and Violation of Safety Standards in Construction Industry of Pakistan

Abstract

In developing countries like Pakistan, construction is one of the most hazardous industrial sectors. Every year, thousands of workers received serious injuries and accidents and this uninterrupted dilemma is growing day by day. Due to this alarming position, there is a need to evaluate the construction accidents along with their causes related to them. This research presents the identification of the factors contributing to construction accidents in Pakistan and suggests key prevention measures on the basis of statistical analysis. A survey questionnaire has been developed and used for the data collection. In total, 164 respondents ranging from foreman to unskilled labor were approached and the questionnaires were filled. Response rate was excellent resulting in 143 valid responses. The results were analyzed and ranked. The accidents are attributed mainly due to. (a) tool accidents; (b) fall from height; and (c) struck by material. Results indicated that management factors largely contributing to the accidents causation rather than workers factors or social factors and need serious consideration. Based on the results of the analysis, prevention measures are recommended which includes: (i) involvement and commitment of top management; (ii) safety education in terms of training for all managers and supervisors; (iii) awareness and identification of unsafe work practices (iv) necessity of personal protective equipment and first aid equipment; and (v) reporting and maintaining injuries and accident records. This work may be useful for the construction practitioners to minimize the accident rate at High rise building construction Projects.