Effect of Health and Safety Management Practices on Safety Performance of Construction Contractors

Abstract

The construction industry plays a significant role in the economic development of a nation. However, health and safety performance of the industry is a challenge to the developmental initiative of the country. The research addressed the problem of in adequate measures of H&S management practices and regulations capable of guiding construction activities on the safety performance of building contractors. this led to the evaluation of H&S management practices on the safety performance of contractors with a view to determining measures for effective safety performance. The use of quantitative approach was adopted for this research. The research data were collected with the use of a well-structured questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered to 50 selected construction companies registered with Federation of Construction Industry in Abuja. The response rate of the questionnaire was 84%. Mean item score (MIS) was used to rank the major H&S practices and regulations regulations in order of implementation by construction companies on a 5- point likerts scale. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between H&S management practices and safety performance of contractors on sites. The research found that H&S management practices of construction contractors have non- significant influence on the safety performance of contractors on sites. The research recommends that contractors should be compelled to draw up a safety responsibilities and put more emphasis on the role of management of H&S practices and provisions should be made to make it a statutory duty for every contractor to have a safety management programme on site for improved safety practices.