Issues of Construction Health and Safety in Developing Countries: A Case of Jordan

The construction industry is widely regarded as one of the most significant in terms of its impact on health and safety (H&S). Recent studies suggest that in developing countries H&S awareness and performance is low. In this paper, the current state of Jordan's on site construction H&S is explored using a two-part investigation. The first part introduces the area of research in a literature based study of on-site safety. The second part presents the findings of a case study on the Jordanian construction industry and its H&S practices. Primary data was collected from field visits, expert interviews and semi-structured questionnaires. Supporting secondary data was collected from archival studies and related research literature. The findings highlight a lack of government commitment exemplified by regulation, policy and legal constraints that limit the operational efficiency of government departments responsible for H&S management, thus hindering the development of good H&S practice. Research results also highlight the key constraints of good H&S practice from the perspective of construction contractors. The study concludes with a discussion of potential solutions to improve H&S performance on construction sites in Jordan.