Abstract
Construction workers in various studies across the globe have indicated that there is some discomfort with the use of safety helmets, and that some workers do not use safety helmets as required, resulting in a compromise to their health and safety protection. This study investigates the processes involved in the selection and procurement of safety helmets for construction workers and assesses these efforts by interrogating the discomforts experienced by users in spite of these selection considerations. The study focuses on safety helmets used by construction workers, as this is a common form of personal protective equipment (PPE) usually given out on construction sites to prevent head injuries, which are among the severest forms of occupational accidents in the industry. Primary data were obtained through a questionnaire survey conducted with construction firms operating in Ghana and semi-structured interviews with construction workers. The findings from the study indicate that in spite of the purported considerations by construction firms in the selection and procurement of PPE, construction workers continually experience several discomforts with the use of safety helmets. The study proposes a Behaviour-Based Safety Intervention Framework to guide the selection and procurement of user-friendly PPE that improves the user experience of safety helmets.
Highlights
Safety helmets are essential equipment on the construction site to protect against head injury caused by falling objects or the impact of a lateral collision
Users of personal protective equipment (PPE) are susceptible to experiencing physiological strain (Holmér, 2006); a study conducted on the effects of using safety helmets on construction sites in hot environments indicated that indigenous construction workers experience little or no physiological strain as a result of its use (Adade-Boateng, Fugar and Adinyira, 2018)
Respondents were presented with a list of discomforts associated with PPE use that were obtained from interactions with construction workers
Summary
Safety helmets are essential equipment on the construction site to protect against head injury caused by falling objects or the impact of a lateral collision. Research indicates that wearing safety helmets under hot working conditions may result in an increased risk of heat disorders, as the head is one of the regions that are most susceptible to heat stress (Ueno and Sawada, 2019). According to Ueno and Sawada (2019), construction workers are at a high risk of heat-related discomforts due to the safety attire they must usually wear and suggest that it is imperative that the head maintains an adequate temperature in order to prevent damage to the brain as a result of heat. Users of personal protective equipment (PPE) are susceptible to experiencing physiological strain (Holmér, 2006); a study conducted on the effects of using safety helmets on construction sites in hot environments indicated that indigenous construction workers experience little or no physiological strain as a result of its use (Adade-Boateng, Fugar and Adinyira, 2018). In as much as it is relieving to know that workers' lives are not physiologically compromised with PPE use, it is worrying to observe global incidences of non-compliance with PPE protocols due to the physical discomforts that are experienced
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