Fall From Height Accidents in the Construction Industry in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Falls from height (FFH) are considered the most dangerous accident in the global construction industry, especially in emerging economies like Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the causative factors responsible for FFH accidents in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. The approach used by the study entailed a review of the extant literature to identify the main causes of FFH accidents. The identified causes were used to develop a questionnaire survey, which was administered to construction professionals in Saudi Arabia. Useable feedback from ninety-one responses was obtained and consequently analysed using the Relative Agreement Index (RAI). The results revealed that the top three causes include “lack of training”, “no safety inspection”, and “no safety meeting and seminar between stakeholders”. The causes were also categorized into three groups including “unsafe acts”, “unsafe conditions”, “communication barriers”, and “management commitment”, where “unsafe acts” was the most influential category. The significance of this study is its potential to help control the occurrence of FFH in the construction industry through the adoption of relevant controls, safety training, and risk-based decision-making in the planning and execution of construction works.