ASSESSMENT OF ACCIDENT HAZARD IN NIGERIAN BUILDING INDUSTRY

Abstract

The building construction industry is seen to be risky and confronted with frequent and high accident rate and ill health problems to workers, practitioners and end-users. Accident and incident reporting by construction firms to the Factories Inspectorate Department is low because most employers are ignorant of their duties. The result of this is inadequate record of accidents, increase in the frequency of accidents and eventually poor health and safety (H&S) performance of construction firms. The aim of the study is to undertake an assessment of accident hazard impact on the Nigerian building industry with a view to identifying effective accident reduction strategies. A survey through the administration of questionnaires to 436 randomly selected construction firms registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Abuja with a response rate of 54% was conducted. Obtained data using Mean Item score (MIS) and regression analysis were analyzed. Major findings from the study are that the most frequently recorded accidents on construction sites are accidents resulting to minor injuries of less than one day off work. Five- Core H&S practices firms were identified out of which Company’s Commitment is implemented the most. The relationship between the level of implementing H&S practices and number of accidents recorded is significant; and the most effective strategies for accident reduction on construction sites are provision of “Personal protective Equipment”(PPE); “First Aid Box”; “Drinking Water”; “Adequate Work Space & Neat Environment”; and “Cloak & Toilet Service”. It is concluded that recorded accidents have a significant impact in the Nigerian building industry. Recommendations from the study include that Government Agencies in charge of enforcing H&S at workplaces should give regular enlightenment on how to prevent accidents and construction firms should investigate the reasons why the number of accidents recorded is still significant while they completely implement most of the core H&S practices.