Improving construction site safety in selected regions of Ghana

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2000-02-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This dissertation reports the results of a construction site survey in selected regions of Ghana. The objectives of the research are to establish the current level of safety on construction sites, identify and examine the major factors that affect construction site safety and make recommendations for improving safety on Ghanaian construction sites. Literature search revealed a wealth of factors thought by authors to influence construction site safety. Questionnaires were used to collect safety-related information from construction site operatives, site managers, construction company managers, factory inspectors and consultants. A questionnaire was also developed and used to measure the level of safety of selected construction sites. Data were analysed using relative ranking index, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and Kendall concordance analysis. The results of the survey reveal lack of enforcement of and compliance with safety legislation and failure of most management of construction companies to adopt safety practices, such as: company safety policy, safety training and orientation programmes, safety incentive schemes, standard accident record keeping system and accident investigation. The top six factors, determined from the study, that influence construction site safety are: top management commitment to worker safety; establishing safety training and orientation for site operatives; safety auditing by safety committees; maintaining construction sites tidy; taking into consideration health and safety matters during the design phase of a facility and accident investigation and record keeping. The research also established that consultants make decisions that impact construction safety and that they do so as a matter of professional ethics.
Description
A project report presented to the Board of Postgraduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Degree of Master of Science in Construction Management, 2000
Keywords
Citation
Collections