Cost of Safety: Evidence from Building Construction Projects in Tanzania

Cost of safety is a condition where a project determines the magnitude to which its resources are used for activities that prevent poor safety outcomes, that appraise the safety quality of the project services, and that result from safety failures. Reducing the cost of safety remains a major challenge in Tanzania's construction industry and reflects trends in many developing countries. A positive safety environment in which projects reduce costs associated with safety performance is critical to project success. This study investigates the cost of safety of building construction projects in Tanzania. The questionnaire was distributed to 255 contractor companies managing building construction projects in five Tanzanian regions namely Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Arusha, Mwanza, and Mbeya to determine the evidence of costs of safety in construction projects in Tanzania whereby 14 cost-of-safety indicators were assessed. The results show that the total cost of safety (CoS) for projects within building construction projects in Tanzania is around 1.77% of the contract sum. Also, it indicates that the cost of safety is inversely proportional to the project safety performance. This important information sheds light on the economic consequences of the cost of safety and underscores the importance of prioritizing safety measures from the beginning of a project. The research will help policymakers and construction company safety experts reduce the cost of safety risks in building construction projects.