Construction Safety Practices: The future for urbanization and economic progression of Bangladesh

As a part of the series of seminars, WUB conducted a webinar with BRAC Wash programme. It was an event where the Department of Civil Engineering presented their research.

An open discussion with reputed Non-Government Organization (NGO) Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), BRAC, Dhaka on 22^nd October 2021 to the audience of the Wash Programme project.

The construction industry stands out from other industries in terms of employment as having one of the highest worker injury and fatality rates, which is around 16%. The incidence rate for both fatal and non-fatal accidents causing death, injuries and illnesses exceeds that of many other industries. Studies reveal that majority of the construction accidents could have been eliminated provided simple safety techniques were applied at the work sites. Further if workers were trained and made aware of the safety hazards present in the sites, the risks of accidents will go down.

The discussion led to the understanding that the success of a project depends on the intricate planning and decisions regarding safety measures that are made on site. Most construction accidents result from unsafe use of equipment, unsafe methods or sequencing, unsafe site conditions, not using the safety equipment that were provided, and a poor attitude towards safety.