Occupational safety and health performance of the manufacturing sector in Jeddah Industrial Estate, Saudi Arabia: A 20-years follow-up study

► Systematic appraisal of occupational safety and health (OSH) is deficient in KSA. ► Little improvement in OSH performance of JIE over the last 20years was observed. ► Poor OSH performance of small and medium plants was observed. ► Lack of safety culture and management are main reasons of poor OSH performance. ► Provision of OSH services and systematic inspection are highly recommended. The objective of the current paper is the evaluation of the progress of occupational safety and health in the manufacturing sector in Jeddah Industrial Estate (JIE), Saudi Arabia over a 20-years period. A study was conducted on 2010 for the appraisal of occupational safety and health performance in JIE and the results are compared to a similar study conducted in 1990. The 1990 study had been based on a sample of 52 plants employing 5830 workers, while that of 2010 was conducted on 135 plants employing 18351 workers. In both studies, evaluation was performed by walk-thorough survey and using detailed survey forms. Comparing the results of both studies reveals that there are considerable improvements in some issues such as exposure to physical and chemical factors, applying engineering controls, and occupational medical services. However, these improvements are much less than what is anticipated or required after two-decade period. On the other hand, a considerable decline in the performance as related to many safety elements and fire protection is observed. Interpretation of these changes and some recommendations are presented.