Compliance with occupational health and safety regulations : a review of Nigeria's construction industry

The state of occupational safety and health (OSH) in Nigeria is poor, especially in the construction industry. Compliance with OSH regulations (OSHR) is one of the major factors for OSH improvement; regrettably, its level is low in Nigeria. Although studies on compliance with OSHR in developed countries abound, understanding the issues peculiar to the Nigerian construction industry as per compliance with OSH regulations is pertinent, as contextual issues can make the difference. As a result, this study, which contextualises Nigeria: examines compliance with OSHR in the Nigerian construction industry; unearths the key issues to compliance with OSHR in the industry; demonstrates the state of compliance withOSHR in the industry. Systematic review of available literature gathered through desk literature search and content analysis were done. It unearthed that key issues to compliance with OSHR in the Nigerian construction industry include: client’s influence, inadequate enforcement (which ranks highest), lack of adequate regulations and unemployment, which rank lowest. It concludes that in the absence of government’s involvement and adequate enforcement, stakeholders in the industry and management commitment can help compliance with OSHR proliferate. It also recommends that: OSH professionals should use the economic benefits of compliance with OSH to attract management commitment; contractors’ OSH records should be a prerequisite for tender selection