REVIEWING THE NEED FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFETY MEASURES FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED CONSTRUCTION FIRMS IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Construction sites have been identified as one of the most hazardous places to work due to high level of health and safety risks. Safety measures in Nigeria lack necessary implementation due to absence of proper monitoring system, low level of safety awareness and inadequate support from safety managers with particular emphasis to the small and medium sized construction firms and thus leading to increase in accidents on construction sites and cost of compensation to injured workers. This study therefore reviewed level of implementation of safety measures for small and medium sized construction firms in Abuja, Nigeria with a view to improving the safety performance of the small and medium sized construction firms. Using information obtained from relevant literature reviews which are acquired from textbooks, journals, conferences and online publication. Primary and secondary data were obtained from various constructions SMEs through a well-structured questionnaire distributed to 353 randomly selected respondents with a response rate of 56%. Mean Item Score (MIS) and moment correlation analysis were employed for the analysis of data The findings revealed that use of Personal Protective Clothing (PPC) is the most effective safety measure required on construction sites. It was also found that low level of compliance with occupational H&S regulations is the most severe challenge affecting the implementation of safety measures by construction SMEs. In the light of the findings, this study concludes that provision of personal protective equipment is the most effective strategy that can improve the level of implementation of safety measures on construction sites. Therefore, this research recommends that construction SMEs should improve the compliance with H&S regulations of firms by ensuring that all the safety measures are restructured to be in line with H&S regulations. Organizations and construction stakeholders should also put measures in place to curb challenges inhibiting safety measures implementation and improve on the safety practices of construction SMEs in order to enhance firm’s competitive advantage and boost performance.