Safety Management in the Jordanian Construction Industry

Abstract

The Jordanian society and economy have suffered human and financial losses as a result of the poor safety record in the construction industry. The purpose of this study is to examine safety management in the Jordanian construction industry. The study collects data from 70 general contractors, who are involved in all types of construction. Collected data include information regarding organizational safety policy, safety training, safety meetings, safety equipment, safety inspections, safety incentives and penalties, workers’ attitude towards safety, labor turnover rates and compliance with safety legislation. The study reveals several factors of poor safety management. Among these are lack of safety training, occasional safety meetings, occasional safety inspections, unavailability of safety protection measures, hesitance of workers to use safety equipment, high labor turnover rates and non-compliance with safety legislation. The paper concludes by providing a set of recommendations to contractors and governmental bodies to improve safety performance.