Abstract
Purpose. The success of construction projects heavily depends on the occupational health and safety (OHS) of the workers. In Somaliland, however, this is not given much consideration. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the factors affecting the implementation of OHS measures on building construction projects (BCPs) in Somaliland. Design/Methodology/Approach. A cross‐sectional research design was employed and 80 questionnaires were distributed to the intended respondents as part of the descriptive survey study, which used a census to determine that the total population was equal to the accessible population. Additionally, data were gathered through observations and interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency analysis and relative importance index, while qualitative data from interviews and observation were explored through narrative analysis. Findings. The majority of the construction industries do not use Occupational Health Safety Assessment Series 45001 to increase safety performance since the relevant laws are not enforced. The study also found that the construction companies did not consider the factors influencing the implementation of OHS: unavailability of personal protective equipment, lack of local guidelines on the standard procedure of OHS, limited expertise, and insufficient historical data availability are the main challenges on the implementation of OHS measures on BCPs in Somaliland. Originality/Value. The study concludes that the implementation of the current stage of OHS in construction industries in Somaliland is 2.5%, which shows very poor and the safety management system was not developed; there were challenging factors to implement this OHS in construction industries in Somaliland. The researchers make several recommendations, including increased OHS awareness, training and retraining of construction employees on OHS, and enforcing the use of protective safety wear and equipment on building sites.