Title: Causes of construction accidents in Oman

Authors: Tariq Umar; Charles Egbu

Addresses: School of Built Environment and Architecture, London South Bank University, London, SE1 0AA, UK; College of Engineering, A'Sharqiyah University, Ibra, 400, Oman ' School of Built Environment and Architecture, London South Bank University, London, SE1 0AA, UK

Abstract: Considering the costs associated with accidents in construction, a model identifying root causes of accidents is proposed for construction organisations in Oman. The model classifies the accidents in construction mainly arising from main four causes: 'equipment/materials', 'workers', 'environment' and 'management'. The model is applied to a road construction project in Oman to trace the root causes of accidents. It can also be applied to construction projects in other sectors such as building or process plant construction. Further research is recommended to extend the study to other projects in the construction sector in order to generalise the findings. Although the frequency distribution of accidents is likely to vary from project to project, understanding the underlying pattern of their causes helps to pinpoint the key areas where resources should be directed in the organisations' efforts to deliver the goal of zero accidents.

Keywords: health and safety; management; construction hazards; accidents; workers; materials and equipment; environment; highway project; cost of accidents; types of construction accidents; inspections; project management.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2018.088725

Middle East Journal of Management, 2018 Vol.5 No.1, pp.21 - 33

Received: 19 May 2017
Accepted: 15 Jun 2017
Published online: 15 Dec 2017 *

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