Research has proved that construction industry is one of the dangerous of all work industries in the world due to its unique nature, heavy machinery and equipment use as well as the type of work involved. People working in the construction industry are at risk most of the time as they work on tall heights, have heavy weights and sharp objects around them that pose a danger at times. There have been several accidents that resulted in casualties and fatalities of numerous people and caused irreparable damage too.


All the risks and loses have made the governments as well as the construction industry sit up and take notice and this has led to improvements in the work environment as well as healthy and safety risk to ensure the construction workers are no longer in danger. UAE has been undergoing massive development and we have seen tall buildings becoming a part of the skyline of its major emirates that can be rightly described as the architectural marvel. 

There have been various accidents too where workers fell down from heights or the cranes, they were crushed by the heavy equipment or stuck in the head or other body part and suffered injuries that left them crippled for life. The human as well as money losses have made the UAE government put in measures in place that ensure the construction companies are putting in safety and health rules and regulations in place that provide workers safety at work and give them a chance to live a healthy and happy work life.

Need for identifying and measuring health and safety risk

As UAE continues to move closer to the Expo 2020, the construction industry is steadily growing as new hotels; new places of recreation and infrastructure are in demand. We can see major development in Dubai creek harbor, nuclear plants, and airport expansions as well as renewed interest in oil and gas sector. While on one hand, this has brought about numerous work and monetary opportunities for contractors and other related services in the industry, yet this also shed lights on the safety and health issues and what needs to be done. 

The construction companies in the UAE need to identity and measure health and safety risks so that no more human loss is suffered. It is essential to know that accidents and disruptions increase when health and safety needs improvement and lack of attention to this can result in a number of problems. 

They can be:

A decrease in productivity because no one would want to work in a place where their life is not safe

It can lead to a dip in profits as people are often scared of working in a place where too many deaths or accidents occur calling it jinxed

It can damage the reputation of the property being constructed or the contractor 

It can result in the contractor losing further bids

It can cause investment or time or money when work stops repeatedly 

Construction companies can identify and measure health and safety risks by keeping the following factors in mind. 

Compliance with the rules and regulations

Construction companies need to comply with the safety regulations as noncompliance leads to accidents which not only damage their profitability but reputation too. They must go through the safety regulations and get themselves registered with international standards in construction for doing things the right way that ensure the workers safety in the long run.

Safety management in complex construction sites

There are many complex construction sites where the construction companies need to keep their eyes and ears open to do manage things in the most effective manner. They need to first carry out risk assessment and make sure that they develop policies as well as standard operating procedures (SOPs), Safe Work Procedures (SWPs) and contractor/client agreements to make sure they are ready to deal with things. 

Proper planning

It is essential to plan things the right way to ensure health and safety of the workers on site because they cannot expect to keep on working on a dangerous site or putting the lives of their employees at risk without consideration. The best way to do this is with compliance to high standards and regulations. 

It is necessary for construction companies to understand that without safety management systems and identifying risks, they can face poor safety performance as well as overall deterioration. They need to work with the right service provider that provides high quality and effective training regarding health, safety and environment and gives them a chance deliver the best results keeping their workforce safe and environment risk free.