ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT ON SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM – SIZED CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES IN ABUJA.

Abstract

All over the world, construction is regarded as one of the most hazardous industries due to its unique nature. As a result, construction workers face different kind of safety and health hazards while working every day. As a result, this study aims to assess the impact of health and safety management on the safety performance of small and medium-sized construction companies in Abuja. The study adapted a quantitative research approach, which include the use of a questionnaire. The population of the study include professionals working with registered small and medium construction companies in Abuja. Based on the chain referral method, 25 small and medium-sized construction companies in Abuja were identified, and 130 respondents were sampled from the identified companies. A snowball technique was used to select a small and medium construction companies. Purposive sampling was used for selecting the respondent from the identified firms. The questionnaire was then served to the professionals in the population purposively, a total of 104 questionnaires representing an 80% response rate were retrieved. The data collected was analysed using a mean item score and a t-test,) health and safety practises were identified during the research. The two most successful health and safety practises utilizes by small and medium-sized construction enterprises in Abuja, ranked first and second, are safety rules and procedure and safety communication. From “management commitment” and ”safety communication and feedback,” which are rated highest, to “safety training” which is ranked lowest, these correlations between safety management and safety performance vary. A threshold of 3.50 was established to get the most significant association based on the mean score. Six (6) safety management practises has scores of over 3.50 and were thus dimmed important. The second-ranked factor, unemployment, came before this. It was discovered that the study’s criteria had a significant impact on how well small and medium-sized construction firms perform in terms of safety. This study conclude that there is a substantial correlation between the safety performance of small and medium-sized construction enterprises in Abuja and recommend that the companies should make sure that their staff receive continuous education on proper equipment and usage.