ABSTRACT
This project assessed the safety measures on building construction site.
Safety on building construction site is key to achieving success in any
project, the aim of this project is to reduce the incident of accident on
building construction sites. The objectives of this research were; to identify
and rank the causes of accidents on construction sites, identify the effect of
non adherence to safety measures on site, identify safety measures to be
observed by workers to avoid or reduce site accident. Various literatures were
set out to review these stated objectives to proffer more understanding. The
research data were collected through questionnaires administered to
construction site workers in some selected site in Ekpoma, the data gotten from
the workers were analyzed with the relative importance index method and tables
were used to present them. From findings it was observed that the causes of
accident on construction site are; Worker’s negligence, Lack of experience,
Faculty equipment and shortage of equipment, poor understanding of risk
associated to work, lack of supervision, lack of health and safety training,
poor site layout and organization, over confidence, failure to use safety
attire or PPE, improper maintained and inadequate scaffolding. Effect of non
adherence to safety measures includes; slow down in work operation, loss of
human lives or injuries, negative impact on firm’s reputation, de-motivate
workers, cost of rework/repairs, and delay in project progress. While the
safety measures to be observed includes; Ensuring safety training for workers,
Identifying hazardous materials, Ensuring that equipment and tools are in good
condition, Using harness and other safety equipment, Always read safety sign,
Beware of the emergency response plans before work begins, Always make use of
personal protective equipment. There is no provision of first aid box on site,
finally it was concluded that since site accident happens occur a lot on
construction site, safety measures must be strictly adhered to by workers and
first aid box should always be provided on site. This lead to the
recommendations which includes; Government should ensure all construction sites
erect safety signs before construction can commence, Nigerian employers should
be sensitized on the need for adopting safety measures first before considering
profit making and other benefits, Site meetings should be encouraged on site,
employers and contractors should provide suitable Programmers that are
consistent with national Laws and Regulations to ensure the safety of workers,
workers should be provided with safety equipment like personal protective
equipment and beware of danger on the construction site.
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
The building construction sector is a very hazardous
one, as other construction sectors experiencing very frequent accident cases.
This sector is very vital to all other industries as it provides the environment
for their operation Jimoh (2012). Shelter is one of mans basic necessity in
life, the quest for the provision of adequate housing has led to an increase in
the activities of the building construction industry in Nigeria. Little or no
attention is paid to the safety of the workers who see to the realization of
these buildings; they are mostly illiterate and are ignorant of their rights and
privileges. Construction safety is an issue which affects the global
construction industry; concerns usually arise whenever major construction
activities are to take place Hinze (2007). The reality on ground is that
accidents and injuries continually occur on construction sites, some even
leading to loss of lives. Most employers fail to provide a safe and conducive
working environment while in some cases the workers use the facilities
inappropriately, these practices have implications to the workers themselves,
the construction company and even the society at large Ikechukwu, Dorothy & Ashem ( 2012). There has
been much improvement in safety issues as regard to the construction industry,
it should however be noted that there is room for more improvement especially
in developing nations, Nigeria inclusive. In an urban context, safety accidents are relatively higher
due to the fact that high rise buildings remain predominant with the
fast-growing complexities of domain-wide construction projects to cope with
modernizing cities arena and high demand for housing, offices, services and
other infrastructures due to the high urbanization. The problems experienced are not restricted to
a particular country as they cut across virtually all countries construction sectors.
These problems tend to be more persistent in the poor developing nations than
in the more developed richer nations. The construction industry in developing
nations have performed far below expectation in the area of safety, Nigeria’s
situation is worse as even the national building code approved by the national
executive council in the year 2006 is not being enforced effectively till date.
Safety during construction is usually not given priority in most developing
nations like Nigeria as it is regarded to be a burden Godwin (2011). Safety
records in these developing counties are usually poor Huang (2006). Okeola
(2009) stated that there are no reliable data on construction accidents in
Nigeria; this is because most contractors fail to report cases of accidents to
the ministerial departments in charge of such occurrences, and they don’t keep
proper records themselves. According to him, the Punch newspaper of July 2005
reported a case of the collapse of a four (4) storey building in Port Harcourt
city, this incident led to the death of about 20 site workers. Such occurrences
point to the fact that Nigeria building construction workers are constantly
being made to work under unsafe conditions which pose danger to their lives.
Deaths and permanent disabilities have occurred as a result of these poor
standards. This shows the government needs to enforce the available regulations
to check these accidents. Idoro (2011) was of the opinion that accident and
injury rates in Nigeria as at the year 2006 were 2 accidents per 100 workers
and 5 injuries per 100 workers, these rates were really not different between
the indigenous companies and multinational companies. A number of challenges
limit the performance of the construction industry in Nigeria, they include: lack
of skilled labour, shortage of materials, power cuts etc Dantata (2008).
Despite the introduction of mechanization in construction process, and
advancement in technology the reality on most sites is that about 50% of manual
labour is still utilized in these processes Okeola (2009). This high rate of
manual labour implementation perhaps plays a significant role in the high
accident rates recorded among workers in the construction industry.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Accidents
occur frequently on building construction sites with little or no documentation.
In recent years some workers have temporarily or permanently been disabled by
work related accidents as a result of inadequate safety knowledge on handling
machines, a result of inadequate safety
knowledge on handling machines and equipment, neglecting to follow simple
procedure in accomplishing task or contractors not providing the right safety
standards and resources for employees. While some of these accidents are caused
by the workers themselves (due to illiteracy, lack of commitment to work etc)
some are caused as a result of the poor or none safety measures employed by the
construction companies/site staff on site. Ede (2010) in a research about the
casualty trends in the cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt reported the
nature of casualties experienced in the building construction sector within the
period of 2000-2010. His research revealed Lagos had the highest casualty rates
followed by Abuja and lastly Port Harcourt city.
Onyeachi (1990), disclosed that accidents losses also fa ll back to the nation. Therefore the
problem here is how to reduce or bring the rate of occurrence of these
accidents to a minimal level. This research seeks to point
out safety issues faced by workers on building sites and thereafter develop
effective measures aimed at addressing them.
1.3 Aim and Objectives
This
research is aimed at reducing incident of accident on building construction
sites. To achieve this aim the following objectives were set out:
1.
Identify and rank the causes of accident
on construction site
2.
Identify the effect of non adherence to
safety measures on site
3.
Identify safety measures to be observed
by workers to avoid or reduce site accident.
1.4
1.4 Research
Questions
1.
What are the causes of accident on
building construction site?
2. What
is the effect of non adherence to safety measures on site?
3.
What are the safety measures to be
observed by workers to avoid or reduce site accident?
1.5 Scope and Delimitation
This study will deal with the safety issues of
Nigerian building construction site workers, using selected building
construction sites in Ekpoma, Edo state. With the purpose of establishing
critical issues affecting their welfare on site, identifying shortcomings on
the building sites and making recommendations towards addressing the
shortcomings. The study considered causes of accident, effect on non adherence
to safety and safety measures to be observed by workers. A total number of five
(5) sites were selected randomly. One of the construction sites were government
projects while the other three (4) sites were owned by private individuals. During
the course of the research work, time factor, invalid questionnaires,
restriction of entry in some sites due to professional reasons, inability to
meet all the respondents at the same time and language barrier (since
interpreters were reluctant) were major hindrances.
1.6
Significance of Study
This research work would aid to create awareness on
safety program for workers on site in order to reduce the number of workers
compensation claims and cost due to accident and also lead to the enactment of
legislation requiring employers to provide safe and healthful place of work. It
is hope that this research work will help to reduce or minimize the high rate
of accident on building construction site in Ekpoma.
It could also serve as guide to construction
professional on safety measure to be followed on building production sites. It
will contribute to the body of knowledge in the subject of health and safety in
the building industry sector and it will also serve as a guide for subsequent
researchers who want to embark on a similar topic.
1.7
Study Area
This study was carried
out in Ekpoma, the administrative headquarters of Esan West Local Government
area of Edo State. It lies between latitude 60 40oN 60 45oN
and longitude 600 5oE
60 10oE Obabori, Ebosele and Mokidi (2006). The inhabitants of Ekpoma
speak the language known as ‘Esan’ and are predominantly farmers whose main
produce are rice and cassava. Before 1976, Ekpoma was characteristically rural
with isolated settlements, few houses, health, educational, commercial and
transportation facilities Olomo (1991). While the population was 13,036 by
1975, it rose to 45,489 in 1991 NPC (1992) and approximately 125,842 (63785
males and 62,057 females) in 2006 (NPC 2006). With only 8.62Km2 of the total
62Km of land used in 1979 Ufuah (1993), physical growth and expansion have
increased to 29.28 Km2 by 2003(Aziegbe, 2006). It’s about 98km from Benin City the capital of Edo state with a highway
from Benin City linked ekpoma to Auchi north ward.
1.8 Definition of Key
Words
I.
Health is
a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the
absence of disease. This includes: The promotion and maintenance of physical,
mental and social well being of workers, Prevention among workers of ill-health
caused by the working conditions, Protection of workers in their employment
from risk resulting from factors adverse to health, Placing and maintenance of
the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physical and
psychological equipment.
II.
Safety is
identifying, evaluating and controlling workplace hazards and includes
measures, methods or techniques or process to prevent human exposure to unsafe
work practices, physical or even chemical agents. This may involve: Improving
working conditions and safe methods of work, Reasonable hours of work,
Provision of personnel protective equipment, Provision of first-aid and medical
facilities.
III.
Welfare is
the provision of facilities to maintain the health and well-being of
individuals at the workplace.
IV.
Accident is
an unexpected, unwanted occurrence which interrupts or interferes with the
orderly progress of work in an establishment by causing bodily injury to a
person making him unfit to resume duty due to partial or total disablement or
even death. It can also cause damage or loss to property, plant, materials or
the environment.
V.
Hazards is
a potential condition which might be converted into an accident. It is a state
having potential to injure a person or impair ones health.
VI.
Risk is
the likelihood of a substance, activity or process to cause harm.
VII.
Building
is a structure comprising of roof and wall, which forms an enclosure capable of
providing shelter (Scott, 1964).
VIII.
Construction
is
the process or method of building something especially road, building, and
bridges. Oxford dictionary, 6th edition, (2000).
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