02. Understanding the Current State of Health and Safety in Sri Lankan Construction
Inadequate safety procedures, a lack of training, and lax enforcement of regulations are just a few of the health and safety issues that Sri Lanka's construction sector must deal with. According to recent data, construction site accidents are frighteningly common and frequently result in serious injuries or fatalities. Poor working conditions, a culture that frequently places a higher priority on production than safety, and a lack of awareness of safety requirements among employers and employees are all contributing factors to this predicament. The first step in creating HRM solutions that can promote a safer workplace is to comprehend these issues.
Important Problems:
- Inadequate Training: Many employees are not properly trained in safety protocols. Formal, role-specific safety training (induction, equipment operation, fall protection, emergency response) is either lacking or nonexistent for many Sri Lankan construction workers. Skills and awareness deteriorate when workplaces and risks change since training usually ends after first introduction and recurrent training is uncommon. Weerakoon, A., Thorpe, D., Heravi, A., & Chakraborty, S. (2025). report a continuous training deficit in the industry; academics estimate the number of workers in the construction industry to be in the hundreds of thousands, and they consistently point to inadequate training as a major cause of accidents. For instance, according to recent sector studies, the construction industry employs over 600,000 individuals, or around 7% of the working population, making training deficits a significant systemic issue.
- Poor Safety Culture: When it comes to safety priorities, management and employees frequently disagree. Schedule and cost targets are frequently given priority by supervisors and project managers; when management indicates that deadlines take precedence over safety, employees mimic these priorities (skip PPE, avoid time-consuming checks, accept risky shortcuts). Additionally, poor communication hinders reporting hazards and learning from near-misses. Accidents are frequently caused by attitudes and behaviors (poor PPE use, risky workarounds, low event reporting), according to empirical investigations of Sri Lankan locations. Poor safety attitudes and behaviors and inadequate safety management were identified as major issues in Sri Lanka's construction industry by a survey-based study conducted in 2025.(Weerakoon, A., Thorpe, D., Heravi, A., & Chakraborty, S. 2025).
- Regulatory Gaps: Inadequate enforcement of safety rules might lead to noncompliance. Even though Sri Lanka has accountable agencies and laws pertaining to occupational safety, enforcement is uneven: there are few inspections and follow-ups, smaller contractors are frequently not regularly monitored, and informal or subcontracted labor evades regulations. Businesses are less motivated to invest in appropriate controls or qualified safety officers when enforcement is lax. The Annual Performance Report - 2023 Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment, shows the industrial safety system still records large numbers of fatal and non-fatal workplace accidents each year (official figures show yearly reported fatal accidents in the low hundreds across industries and construction remains a major contributor to reported accidents).
Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment. (2023).
Annual Performance Report – 2023. Government of Sri Lanka.
Weerakoon, A., Thorpe, D., Heravi, A., & Chakraborty, S. (2025).
Safety training deficits and contributing factors to accidents in Sri Lanka’s construction industry. Journal of Construction Safety and Risk Management, 14(1), 45–62.
Sri Lanka’s construction sector is plagued by insufficient training, a weak safety culture, and pressure to prioritize speed over protection, turning preventable accidents into tragedies. Highlighting the scale (hundreds of thousands of workers, 7 % of employment) shows it’s a systemic issue, not just isolated lapses. 100% agreed with you. Understanding these root causes is the crucial first step for HRM to embed safety competence, shift mindsets, and break the cost‑first cycle.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the structural difficulties Sri Lanka's building industry has, I absolutely concur with your remarks. The size of the workforce involved, along with the critical problems of inadequate training and a weak safety culture, highlight how urgently complete change is needed. It's critical to understand that these are signs of a larger systemic issue rather than just individual errors. The crucial first step is, in fact, to address these underlying problems through human resource management. We can establish a culture that puts worker safety first without compromising productivity by integrating safety expertise, altering perspectives, and moving away from a cost-first strategy. In order to preserve lives and promote a sustainable future for Sri Lanka's building sector, this change is essential. I appreciate you drawing attention to this Nirmal
DeleteA concise and compelling outline of the urgent health and safety challenges facing Sri Lanka’s construction sector. You successfully highlight how inadequate training, a weak safety culture, and regulatory gaps all contribute to high accident rates. Recognizing that this is a systemic problem impacting hundreds of thousands of workers, not just isolated cases, makes it clear that a strategic, HR-led transformation is needed. Well presented and essential for anyone focused on improving construction safety and sustainability!
ReplyDeleteSachitra, I sincerely appreciate your kind and supportive comments. I really like how you summarized the main problems that Sri Lanka's building industry is facing. Your understanding of the systemic nature of these health and safety issues—from insufficient training to a weak safety culture and regulatory gaps—highlights the critical importance of a strategic, HR-driven response.
DeleteI'm happy the concept struck something with you, particularly the focus on safeguarding the sizable workforce at danger. Your observations highlight how crucial it is to change safety procedures through improved training, more consistent compliance, and stronger leadership. Once again, I want to thank you for offering such insightful and encouraging information.
This section clearly explains the major health and safety problems in Sri Lanka’s construction industry, especially the gaps in training, safety culture, and regulatory enforcement. It uses recent research and data to show why these issues continue to cause serious accidents. The points are well-organized and give a realistic picture of the challenges faced by workers and employers. Overall, it provides a strong foundation for understanding why HRM-driven safety improvements are urgently needed.
ReplyDeleteYes, Rahal, I really appreciate your kind and supportive comments. I sincerely appreciate your nice remarks and how well you grasped the main difficulties Sri Lanka's building sector faces. Your understanding of the systemic nature of these problems—from a deficient safety culture to insufficient training and regulatory gaps—highlights the critical importance of a robust, HR-driven strategy.
DeleteI'm really happy that the message struck a chord with you, particularly the focus on safeguarding the sizable workforce that is constantly at risk. In order to achieve significant safety improvements, your observations further highlight the significance of improved leadership, ongoing training, and constant compliance. Once again, I want to thank you for offering such insightful and inspiring information.
Ishan, you get straight to the heart of the problem and lay out the three biggest drivers behind all those accidents: First, there’s the lack of good training no proper courses, nothing role-specific, and barely any ongoing learning, even though the workforce is huge (over 600,000 people). Next up is the weak safety culture. You show how everyone’s chasing deadlines and cost savings, which means safety slips down the priority list. Workers end up taking shortcuts, and no one’s reporting hazards something that research backs up. Finally, you highlight the regulatory mess: uneven enforcement lets companies off the hook, so there’s not much reason for them to invest in real safety measures or hire qualified people. You manage to set the scene perfectly for talking about how HR can step in to build a safer, more responsible industry.
ReplyDeleteYes, Sameera, I really appreciate your insightful and thorough feedback. I truly like how you identified the three main factors causing construction-related accidents. The industry's reality is aptly captured by your explanation of the inadequate training, the lax safety culture motivated by deadlines and financial constraints, and the irregularities in regulatory enforcement.
ReplyDeleteYou've outlined the precise reasons why these structural issues persist and why a large number of employees wind up taking chances without the necessary supervision or safety. I'm happy you saw how this lays the groundwork for talking about HR's contribution to creating a more secure and responsible sector. Again, I want to thank you for your lucid, encouraging, and perceptive input.
This section succinctly outlines the existing health and safety issues in the construction industry in Sri Lanka. Some of the major issues concern a lack of regular safety training, a poor overall safety culture with production pressures overriding safety, and flaws in enforcing regulatory laws. These systemic issues result in high rates of accidents, injuries, and fatalities within the construction industry. Understanding these weaknesses will enable HRM to develop appropriate interventions to enhance training, encourage safety-related behaviors, and promote compliance to ensure a safer working environment.
ReplyDeleteYes Ishan, Poor safety culture and regulatory gaps remain two of the biggest challenges in Sri Lanka’s construction industry, and this is exactly where HRM can make a meaningful impact. When safety is not embedded into daily routines or leadership behavior, accidents become almost inevitable. HRM can help shift this mindset by introducing structured safety training, promoting responsible site behavior, and ensuring that supervisors lead by example.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, regulatory gaps create inconsistencies in how safety rules are understood and applied. HRM can bridge this by standardizing internal policies, ensuring regular compliance checks, and building clear communication channels so workers understand their rights and safety expectations. Strengthening the safety culture and closing these gaps through HRM-driven initiatives is essential for creating a more responsible and protected construction workforce.