Citation

Adeyemo O, Smallwood J. Procedia Eng. 2017; 196: 785-791.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.proeng.2017.08.008

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The performance of construction projects can be improved by addressing occupational health and safety (H&S) legislation to safeguard the H&S of workers and the entire community. A range of literature has addressed existing H&S legislation relative to the construction industry. However, fatalities and injuries remain issues in the industry. Consequently, this study seeks to examine occupational H&S legislation and its direct impact on H&S performance. Data was collected using questionnaire surveys among construction professionals, and descriptive statistics were computed. The study reveals that occupational H&S legislation specifically designed for the Nigerian construction industry, is limited, and does not positively influence H&S performance in the construction industry. Contractors are more profit-conscious than securing the H&S of their workers, which in turn leads to cost overruns, which have a negative effect on the performance of construction projects. The study concludes that to promote an H&S culture that would provide continuous H&S performance improvement on construction projects, H&S legislation has to be specific, strictly monitored, and enforced..

Language: en

Keywords

Construction; Cost overruns; Health and Safety; Performance; Project