Development of a model for health and safety management in Saudi Arabian oil and gas construction projects

Health and safety is regarded as the foundation of the construction and production process in the oil and gas sector. However, in the Saudi Arabian oil and gas construction industry, this very foundation is threatened by the proliferation of work-related hazards that leave workers permanently or temporarily incapacitated. In comparison with other industrial sectors, workers on oil and gas construction sites are at greater risk of facing a variety of health and safety related risks, and that is the reason why it is essential to prevent the increasing level of accidents on these sites. Although, efforts were made to minimize exposure to such risks in the Saudi oil and gas sector, there is still a need for radical changes in the way the sector approaches health and safety issues. In this regard, this study examines the effectiveness of existing health and safety measures followed in Saudi Arabia, while looking at critical areas that require immediate attention as well as new measures that can be implemented to improve in those areas. To achieve this, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. For the quantitative research, questionnaires were designed and distributed to 300 respondents who work in construction companies in Saudi Arabia. For the purposes of obtaining answers from relevant respondents, construction companies who have experience from working on oil and gas construction projects were targeted. A total of 200 questionnaires were completed and returned. The quantitative data was analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. For the qualitative data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine professionals purposely selected due to their knowledge, years of experience and familiarity with health and safety policies and standards on oil and gas construction sites. The analysis of the qualitative data was achieved using qualitative data analysis software QSR Nvivo. During qualitative data analysis, thematic analysis was adopted to build themes from the data which formed the basis for the presentation of the results from this research. Findings from the research suggest that all participants are of the view that oil and gas construction projects have more health and safety issues compared to average construction projects. It was found that the nature of the oil and gas industry coupled with the risky nature of construction activities presented higher risk which led to increased health and safety issues when constructing in the sector. The results also indicated that there was a low level of involvement from the construction site teams and workers in the development of health and safety policies for oil and gas construction projects. It was also identified that there was very poor adherence to health and safety standards and regulations on oil and gas construction sites due to little or no understanding of requirements andprocedures, as well as the advantages of adhering to such. Poor enforcement of government legislation was also identified to be another major cause for the poor health and safety performance of oil and gas construction projects. Based on the aforementioned results and the findings obtained from literature, a framework was developed to ensure that health and safety was properly institutionalised throughout the processes undertaken by construction firms during project management. The framework recommends both corporate level and project level policies that could facilitate the adoption and implementation of health and safety guidelines on construction projects in the oil and gas sector. An implementation guide was equally presented alongside the framework in view that it would ensure that users covered all the necessary areas in terms of health and safety and that all parties were involved in the process. The research concludes that construction projects in the oil and gas sector are riskier and demand approaches and strategies specific to the type of projects undertaken. The study finally recommends that further research should be undertaken to propose alternative models and national level legislative framework for enhanced health and safety guarantee especially in the Saudi oil and gas construction industry.