Safety practices and causes of fatality in building construction projects: A case study for Bangladesh

Construction industry is known for its poor safety records compared with other industries. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the existing safety practices and discover the causes of fatalities in building construction projects in Bangladesh. To achieve these objectives, related studies were reviewed and field data collected by structured interviews with project managers, engineers and foremen. In addition a questionnaire survey has been conducted among engineers. Data has been analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The results showed that many construction sites did not practice proper safety measures for site protection and that workers did not take personal protective measures mentioned in Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC). Besides, the study results revealed that the leading cause of fatal accidents is falling from different heights. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation has been found between fatal reports and survey results to find the most vulnerable age group (26-41 years) and construction floor levels (6th - 10th) for fatality. Thus, the study recommends for protecting construction sites and ensuring workers’ personal safety measures the provision of better on-site safety practices to reduce fatalities. At the end, this study suggests some future studies on construction safety in Bangladesh as well as in other developing countries.