As the GCC projects market enters a new cycle of growth after the global crisis, the need for sustainable construction and safety in carrying out the work is pressing.

The cash passing through the construction industry stimulated unprecedented growth in GCC economies. In 2008, the combined GDP of its six member states rose to more than $1 trillion – three times the figure recorded in 2002 – and the region became the world’s most buoyant export market for building materials and equipment.

These trends could well be overshadowed by what is to come. According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, about $2.5 trillion-worth of projects are underway or planned in the GCC.

There has been a radical change in the safety methods employed by the GCC construction industry to deliver huge projects, but more needs to be done to secure workers’ safety.

Construction industry specialists say the codes are sound, but were designed to address an earlier era.

World-class project execution is not possible or sustainable without world-class health and safety management. The view from the building site, nevertheless, is that construction companies and subcontractors are often reacting rather than managing the human element of the industry.

“Across the GCC, legislation is fragmented and typically at an early stage of development,