Assessment of occupational health and safety compliance in the Nigerian construction industry

Abstract: Health and safety in the workplace pose a great threat globally towards the sustenance of development of the society. Work-related accidents and illnesses contribute significantly to the yearly death ratio, thereby leading to a substantial loss in a country‟s labour force. However, the construction industry which employs almost half of Nigerian‟s labour force is a major source of occupational related accidents, injuries and ill health within the country. The construction worker has the greatest chance of being killed at work compared to other occupations. In order to curb the occupational hazards in the construction industry, different policies have been proposed but the occupational hazards remain insurmountable. Thus, this study examines the level of compliance to health and safety policies in construction firms in Nigeria. It also evaluates the causes and prevalent forms of accidents on construction sites and establishes the challenges confronting the site manager in ensuring the safety of construction workers on the construction sites. Finally, it examines the cost implications of implementing health and safety management on construction sites.The study obtained data from both primary and secondary sources. The secondary data was collected through a detailed review of the extant literature. The primary data was gathered through a questionnaire that was distributed to construction professionals who are active in the Nigerian construction industry. One hundred and twenty-six (126) questionnaires were received from one hundred and fifty (150) sent out, representing an 82percent response rate.Of the one hundred and sixty-eight (168) copies of the questionnaire sent out, only one hundred and thirty-eight (138) were used for the analysis, representing an 86 percent response rate. Towards ensuring the reliability of the research questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha coefficient reliability test was conducted on the scaled research questions. Findings from the research were analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the Mann...M.Ing. (Engineering Management