Protecting Occupational Health and Safety in Construction Companies in the Czech Republic

Currently it is the third year when the global COVID-19 pandemic is having a negative impact on the lives of individuals, on the activities of economic entities of all sizes and on the economies of countries around the world. Following the partial calming in this area, a crisis linked to the war in Ukraine hit Europe in early 2022. This has a negative impact on economic production and the associated decline in the standard of living. The prices of materials, products and transport are rising, causing a sharp increase in construction prices in the construction sector. Protecting the occupational health of workers and providing a safe environment for their work form an essential part of all construction projects. This article deals with the research into occupational health and safety on construction sites in the Czech Republic. The research described in this article was conducted in several successive steps. In the first step, a research design was drawn up, in the second step data collection was carried out, and in the third step data analysis and compilation of results were carried out. Qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis, namely in-depth interviews and the coding method, were used in the companies under research. Open-ended questions relating to respondents' opinions, experience and overall perceptions of the issues were developed in the preparatory phase of the research. The aim was to obtain credible answers to the questions raised. The research lasted for six months and involved 19 medium and large companies from the Czech Republic. The purpose of the research described in this article was to find out the situation focusing on providing the health and safety of workers during the implementation of construction. The costs of implementing the necessary measures in this field were also investigated.