Performance Study of OSH Management in Building Construction Sites of Jharsuguda, Odisha (India)

The construction industry is a key contributor of economic growth in all countries of the world.Due to their labor intensive nature, construction works provide employment opportunities for many skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled people.However; construction works are considered as risky since frequent and high occupational accident rates and health problems occur with workers.In Odisha (India) also, the construction industry has been hazardous sector causing a number of work place accidents, injuries and fatalities.There are several factors contributing to the occurrence of frequent occupational accidents.The occupational safety and health management system of the country is poor because of different constraints.Hence, identification and analysis of the factors causing construction workplace accidents and constraints in the occupational safety and health management system is vital for the effectiveness of creating safe working environment in Indian construction sectors in general and in building construction projects in particular.The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of occupational safety and health management in building construction sites of Jharsuguda, Odisha (India).Accordingly, it attempts to identify the extent and cause of occupational accidents, injuries and fatalities and the constraints in the management of occupational safety and health in building construction sites.The study results revealed that out of total participants 41% of the workers experienced occupational injuries and 30% had experienced occupational illnesses.The results also showed that fall from height is the leading cause of occupational accidents and back pain is the leading occupational illness in building construction sites.Lack of safety and health policy, lack of personal protective equipment, inadequate safety and health training, lack of safety and health professionals and poor risk assessments respectively are the top constraints in the management of occupational safety and health in building construction sites.Further findings of this study show that no systematic method is used for labor inspection.Moreover, occupational accidents are not properly recorded and reported.Major recommendations of this study include: Provision of welfare facilities, personal protective equipment and training of workers on safety procedures are the critical measures needed for addressing occupational safety and health issues confronting the workers in building construction sites.The issue of safety and health is not to be the concern of contractors only.All stakeholders of the construction sector have to take part in the process of creating safe working environments.Clients and consultants have to include the subject of safety and health in their tender documents so that contractors may have earlier readiness to allocate budget for it.The contractors have to train the workers, promote safety culture and follow up the safety performance.The consultants should control all the tools and construction methods in the construction sites to insure safety of workers.The government has to show political commitment by implementing the existing laws and making occupational safety and health policy.