Abstract
The increased emphasis on health and safety (H&S) in the construction industry in recent years necessitates continuous research on strategies to improve H&S performance in the sector. However, the motives behind the implementation of H&S practices in the construction industry has been explored to a limited extent. The aim of the current study is to classify the drivers behind H&S implementation in the South African construction industry. A field survey was undertaken. Participants, selected through judgemental and snowball sampling techniques, included site engineers, site agents, contracts managers, construction managers and project managers. Mean item score and standard deviation were determined using EXCEL. The need to manage hazards; organisations regard H&S as important; and compliance with the legislation emerged as the most important drivers. The study provides evidence for construction organisations to develop effective strategies to mitigate the occurrence of fatalities and deaths in the construction industry. More robust data analysis techniques could be employed in further studies.
Highlights
The construction industry is an important sector in terms of contribution to economic growth and gross domestic product (GDP) of an economy (Sánchez, Peláez, & Alís, 2017; Smallwood, Haupt, & Shakantu, 2009)
Research on health and safety (H&S) implementation within the construction industry is critical as construction organisations continue to strive to improve their H&S performance on projects
This birthed the interest in the current study which sought to investigate the motivators of H&S implementation in construction organisations
Summary
The construction industry is an important sector in terms of contribution to economic growth and gross domestic product (GDP) of an economy (Sánchez, Peláez, & Alís, 2017; Smallwood, Haupt, & Shakantu, 2009). Poor health and safety has consequences for workers, organisations, society and countries (Sánchez et al, 2017). These consequences include direct and indirect costs. Typical indirect costs incurred by construction organisations include reduced productivity of injured worker/s; reduced productivity of workforce; costs resulting from delays; additional supervision costs; costs of clean-up after the accident; costs resulting from rescheduling of work to ensure timely completion, lost work days, and training of new workers (Hughes & Ferrett, 2016; Okorie & Smallwood, 2010; Smallwood et al, 2009). Investment in H&S increases profitability, productivity and employee confidence, and decreases attrition (Muiruri & Mulinge, 2014)
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