A Review of Construction Safety and Health Laws in Lebanon

Abstract

Despite being one of the most essential and prominent industries, the construction industry continues to be the world’s most fatal. It is responsible for one in every five fatal occupational injuries in the European Union and the Unites States of America, and rates get even worse for developing countries. In Lebanon, a developing country in the Middle East, one in every three occupational fatalities is incurred by the Lebanese construction industry. These alarming fatality rates enhanced safety construction research, with many studies attempting to identify the root causes of injuries, investigate safety climate and culture in construction firms and sites, and analyze safety indicators. However, very few studies tend to critique the existing occupational and health safety laws adopted in their country. The main objective of this paper was to investigate the construction occupational safety and health laws in Lebanon. Upon examining the current decrees, and comparing them to foreign Ocupational Safety and Health (OSH) laws like Ocupational Safety and Health Adminsitration (OSHA), it became evident that the Lebanese laws are broad, lack specifics, and use weak terminology. Moreover, the status of the OSH inspectors in Lebanon needs to heavily improved to better implement the OSH laws and improve the safety situation. Findings of this paper can assist researchers in further understanding the safety status of the construction industry in Lebanon and similar developing countries.