Health and safety aspects in building construction industry in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Construction sector in Sri Lanka has tremendously grown in the recent past and construction has developed into an important base of the national economy. However, although being healthy and safe is an important aspect of construction, it remains unsatisfactory in Sri Lankan building construction industry, which takes the foremost share in constructions. Moreover, accidents result heavy loss of time, cost and resources, which are considered as the most valuable assets in the industry. This research was carried out with the intention of identifying the causes and effects of weak health and safety practices and to recognize the areas to be strengthened in this regard. Secondary data on fatal and nonfatal accidents, which have occured in recent past, were collected to identify trends of the construction industry. Then, it was extended with a questionnaire survey among the professionals in the construction industry to identify the causes for accidents and the ways to mitigate their risk. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Sri Lanka clearly shows that the construction is growing at an increasing rate while the number of fatal accidents is also increasing at a higher rate than that. It clearly shows that there is lack of attention is paid on health and safety aspects with the progress of the industry. Through the questionnaire, the key areas which cause accidents and the most significant areas that have to be strengthened in the construction industry in Sri Lanka was identified.