| dc.description.abstract | This study is about safety awareness in the informal construction sector. Safety
awareness as used in this study refers to a state of mind where one is constantly aware of
the possibility of injury and therefore act to minimize the possibility of causing injury to
himself or others (M.C.A., 2003).
The study investigates safety awareness in the informal construction sector with a view
to recommending possible self-sustainable ways of improving safety awareness to help
reduce accident prevalence in the sector. The study covers building project owners, site
foremen, workers and site surveys. In particular, it examines compliance with safety
requirements, and investigates behaviours, perceptions and attitudes associated with
safety, and management practices and associated documentation relating to safety with a
view to establishing how they on impact safety in the informal construction sector.
Basing on the findings, the study concludes that the informal construction sites sampled
do not generally comply with safety requirements and their owners are safety ignorant.
The study also concludes that although the sampled workers' perception of risk
associated with working from heights is appropriate, their behaviours and attitudes
associated with safety are inappropriate. Similarly, the study concludes that safety
management practices and associated documentations are not only inappropriate but also
almost non-existent in the informal construction sites surveyed.
The study recommends a massive 'and elaborate education campaign to create
awareness of the benefits of workplace safety amongst the stakeholders, training and
certification of workers/foremen, competent supervision on sites, random inspection by
relevant authorities, an appropriate incident/accident reporting system and the formation
of workers' associations in the informal construction sector. | en |
