Briefing: Status of occupational safety and health in GCC construction

Abstract

The construction projects in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-member countries are peaking as the region is in the stage of improving its infrastructures. This briefing presents the current status of occupational safety and health in the region by providing a brief comparison with some of the advanced countries where improved safety performance is guaranteed and maintained. The comparison of the available data shows that, in general, GCC countries display a poor occupational safety and health performance. The briefing suggests the key areas for research which could help the GCC construction industry to improve its performance. These areas include the awareness and importance of safety, cost of accidents, environmental and climatic factors which affect the workers, occupational safety and health regulations and their implementation, workers’ well-being, safety culture and safety climate.