JEDDAH: The Sept. 11 crane crash in the Grand Mosque has brought to the fore poor safety measures adopted by some builders.

As the construction sector has emerged as one of the Kingdom’s most productive industries in the past few years, government officials have stressed that builders should be required to strictly follow all relevant safety measures and procedures in order to prevent site accidents.

Indeed, it has been reported that several construction sites in the Kingdom lack full awareness regarding how to make the workplace safe for workers. Construction workers are often seen operating in hazardous conditions without helmets, protective masks or other vital equipment that will protect them at their work sites. In some sites, a majority of workers have been found without even basic equipment such as shoes and gloves.

Mohammed Saleh, an engineer in Jeddah, said: “There is a lot of pressure on construction companies to finish the project on time, meaning that they often compromise on the use of safety equipment that sometimes is seen to cause inconvenience to them. Usually, small companies that are subcontractors for a particular job, flout the safety regulations with regard to protecting their workers. Workers are equally at fault for not asking to be protected from known work hazards.”

“As there is little attention being paid to educating people about safe work practices, it is important for the company and inspection officials to spread awareness among workers about safety at construction sites so as to avoid injuries and to make sure that they follow up on these important aspects of the project,” he added.

Abdullah Sheikh, a manager at a private contracting company who has several laborers working with him, remarked: “The higher officials of the company also play an important role in ensuring site safety through good supervision. While watching the commitment of their senior's to safety, workers will be encouraged to perform their jobs in a safe manner."

Another engineer, Moaz Suan, said the issue is not with the legislation, but with the ability of the authorities to enforce and maintain good standards of safety on project sites. "Contracting companies, whether big or small, need to train their staff and develop best-practice guidelines, which is the most important factor in improving worksite conditions," he said.