Abstract

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to juxtapose construction site hazards with hazards present in typical Ghanaian communities to engender some safety knowledge transfer from construction companies to project host communities as a corporate social responsibility to the construction companies. Design/Methodology/Approach–Fifty-one volunteers who are health and safety professionals in Ghana part took in the survey to determine the common health and safety hazards present in most Ghanaian communities. The identified hazards were compared to typical construction site health and safety hazards identified from the literature. The survey also sought to establish the general health and safety awareness levels among Ghanaian communities. Findings – Findings of the study reveal that H&S awareness in the Ghanaian community is poor, and therefore needs improvement. It also identified 26 construction hazards that are also common in the Ghanaian communities and established that H&S knowledge in the Ghanaian construction industry is more advanced than that of the Ghanaian community. The findings further reveal that the respondent’s perception of poor health and safety in the Ghanaian community was influence by their job positions in the communities. Originality/Value–The poor state of H&S knowledge among Ghanaian communities has been recognized by various researchers, but this study is the first attempt to compare this state with the construction industry and to present a wide-ranging lesson to be learnt from health and safety improvement in the construction industry.

Highlights

  • The poor state of health and safety culture among Ghanaian communities is well documented

  • National Statistical Service Report and the Ghana National Fire Service Incident Report have both called for an urgent need to improve the state of health and safety in the country [12, 13]

  • The current study sought to identify health and safety hazards presents in the Ghanaian community

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Summary

Introduction

The poor state of health and safety culture among Ghanaian communities is well documented. This has generated a lot of debate among government, academia, religious bodies, opinion leaders and the media, all calling for an urgent action to improve upon the situation. National Statistical Service Report and the Ghana National Fire Service Incident Report have both called for an urgent need to improve the state of health and safety in the country [12, 13]. Ignorance and negligence rank high as causes of most health and safety problems reported in the country. There is the need to put in place measures that protect the Ghanaian public against avoidable health and safety hazards The responsibility of every nation is to provide a good and safe environment for its citizenry devoid of risks, hazards, and diseases [20].

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