Implementation of Construction Safety Laws in Public and Private Projects: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh

In developing countries like Bangladesh, where the safety budget is constrained, implementing safety regulations is the bottom line to confirm safety performance in construction projects. As public and private projects differ in resource allocation and expected outcomes, there is a research question on implementing different types of construction safety laws and their impact on safety performance in public and private projects separately. 172 project managers participated in a structured questionnaire survey to identify the status of how construction safety laws were implemented and safety performance in terms of Safety Behavior (SB), Safety Conditions (SC), and Client Acceptance (CA). After reviewing the current safety rules in Bangladesh, a total of 28 construction safety concern areas were categorized into five subcategories after doing factor analysis: workers’ Welfare (WF), Housekeeping (HK), Working Environment (WE), Equipment (EQP), and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In public projects, HK and WF were not only found at the top in implementation but also had a substantial impact on the regression models for three safety performance indicators: SB, SC, and CA. On the other hand, in private projects, PPE and WE significantly impacted the regression models. PPE was at the lowest position in implementation, and WE was at the second highest among all types of construction safety laws. The findings of this study could help project managers and contractors develop a strategy to ensure safety performance in public and private projects separately in terms of implementing safety laws.