Causes and Effects of Accidents on Construction Sites (A Case Study of Some Selected Construction Firms in Abuja F.C.T Nigeria)

Abstract

As the growth of construction industry blossoms in Nigeria, this also causes an increase in competition of projects to execute between construction firms which are however achieved at the expense of the workers welfare and their safety. Therefore identifying the various causes and effect of accidents on construction sites and proposing ways and means of reducing these accidents should be acknowledged. This study examines the major causes of accidents and suggests ways of mitigating these accidents on construction sites. A designed questionnaire was administered and descriptive statistics tool such as frequency, mean, percentage and relative importance index were used for the analysis. Construction firms in Nigeria can be classified as Multinationals, Large Scale indigenous construction firms and Small Scale indigenous construction firms. From the research negligence is the main cause of accidents on construction sites, labourers are also the major victims of these site accidents, loss of time in project execution is the major effect caused by these accidents in project execution. To ensure safety and to reduce the occurrence of construction site accidents to the minimum, management of construction firms must undertake and implement some of the context of this study such as implementation of safety policy, use of safety items and gears, training on safety measures and accident prevention methods, ensuring safe working environment and enforcing safety rules etc.