Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction Industry in Developing Countries

Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction Industry in Developing Countries

* Ajeet Jaiswal, **Sapna Jaiswal

*Dr. Ajeet Jaiswal, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.  Email: rpgajeet@gmail.com.

**Mrs Sapna Jaiswal, MBA, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.

Abstract:

Health at work and healthy work environment are amongst the most valuable assets of individuals, communities and countries. The lackadaisical attitude of the Indian policy makers has made the situation even worse. The enforcement of legislative measures and their active implementation is also very poor. Construction is a dangerous industry, for two reasons: one is the intrinsically hazardous nature of the work; the other is the result of the industry’s structural and organizational challenges for risk management. These combined factors have created an industry culture in which poor health and safety outcomes have long been the accepted norm. Representation and consultation are elements of health and safety management theory but are not necessarily applied effectively in practice. To appreciate why, it is important to understand the meaning of these terms and what constitutes good practice in this regard. This article report is primarily a review of research literature across a range of countries, but mostly restricted to english publications. The initial findings demonstrated that research literature on the construction industry is very limited. There is, however, wider research literature, including well-constructed studies, that examine these issues in other economic sectors and this report has considered both the limited and broader material. Research evidence demonstrates that worker representation and consultation effectively improve health and safety outcomes in relation to management practices and safety culture, as well as safety performance in terms of injury rates.

Key words: Occupational Health, Construction Industry, Developing Countries, Safety