OSHA Regulations Effects on Construction

Abstract

The financial consequences of the direct and indirect cost of construction accidents is large. Previous cost studies show that accidents add approximately 6.5% to the nation's construction expenditures. However, the data from the present investigation indicate there has been a reduction, during a 5 year interval (1976–1981), in the amount contractors perceive they spend for complying with OSHA rules and regulations. The decrease in terms of percentage of construction cost is from 2.8% to 1.4% for the ENR 400 firms and from 4.5% to 2.4% for the OCA (Ohio) contractors. The foregoing may be due, in part, to either a variation in OSHA enforcement methods, or a change in the standard operating procedures of contractors, or both reasons. Whatever the reason, contractors, both large and small, appear to have learned to cope with OSHA and feel that the associated rules and regulations are less of a monetary burden.