SOCIAL ENREPRENEURSHIP: IMPACT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (OHS) FACTORS ON WORKERS’ BEHAVIOR IN DIFFERENT CONSTRUCTION SECTORS IN OMAN

Abstract

PURPOSE This paper critically analyzes and assesses the various factors of occupational health and safety (OHS), and elucidate the factors affecting construction workers’ behavior in different construction projects of Oman. It aims to create Occupational Health and Safety awareness in construction workers working for Social Entrepreneurs in Oman. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Two hundred and fifty-two construction workers from various projects were selected based on a simple random sampling basis, and the data was collected through a well-defined questionnaire. FINDINGS The study shows that workers favor communication in the improvement of workers’ behavior in the industrial and infrastructure construction projects.Education and training help in capacity building and skills development and contributes towards sustainable positive OHS result in petrochemical construction projects. Management commitment plays a major part to maintain a sustained hazard free environment in building construction projects. The study also shows that the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) factors –OHS policies, health care, communication, management commitment, education and training and workers’ behavior, have a direct impact on health and safety results towards social entrepreneurship of creating awareness in the construction sectors of Oman. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/ IMPLICATIONS A model named Construction Industries Influencing Factors Framework (CIIFF) Model, has been developed with the orientation of workers’ behavior which can be developed further making improvements in the existing mechanism and the factors influencing can be dealt with wider procedures to ensure improvements. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS The model may help in creating tools that are more effective to reduce Occupational Health and Safety related accidents and property damages in a construction project.