Title: The costs of accidents in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia construction industry

Authors: Tariq Umar

Addresses: College of Engineering, A'Sharqiyah University, Ibra, Muscat, Oman

Abstract: Considering the construction projects and the current status of occupational safety in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, this article attempts to estimate the costs of accidents in construction. The parameters used in these estimates include the values of the current projects in the three main countries including Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia; and the amount disbursed by the government organisations against injuries, disabilities, and deaths. The total costs of an accident in Oman are estimated at US$ 415,620 with an economic burden of US$ 205.73 million/year. In Saudi Arabia, the costs of an accident are estimated at US$ 91,940, while the economic burden of the Saudi economy is estimated at US$ 261.11 million/year. Similarly, the costs of an accident in the Qatari construction industry stand at US$ 205,526. The costs of an accident in these countries are quite higher than the costs in the USA, UK, AUS, and SA.

Keywords: health and safety; costs of accident; direct costs; indirect costs; construction industry; Qatar; Oman; Saudi Arabia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSRECE.2021.118079

International Journal of Sustainable Real Estate and Construction Economics, 2021 Vol.2 No.1, pp.61 - 81

Received: 03 Dec 2019
Accepted: 27 Jan 2020

Published online: 12 Oct 2021 *

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