Establishing the Level of Implementation of Health and Safety Management Plans on High-Rise Building Construction Projects in Abuja, Nigeria  

Wasiu Yinka Aderibigbe¹, Chuks Kevin Okolie², Oluwatayomi Daniel Fadumo³

^1-3Department of Building, Faculty of Environmental Sciences -Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka -Anambra State.

Abstract

Developing countries, where enforcement mechanisms and safety culture are often weak, tend to record higher accident rates due to poor regulatory compliance and inadequate training. This study aimed to establish the level of implementation of health and safety management plans on high-rise building construction projects in Abuja, Nigeria. The study adopted the mixed-methods approach to study the opinion of construction professionals and workers engaged in high-rise building construction projects within the Central Area of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Out of the 287 questionnaires administered, 268 were correctly completed and returned, representing a 93.38% response rate. The results indicate that the implementation of HSMPs on construction sites is moderate and inconsistent. Implementation of site-specific safety plans ranks highest (3.72) and, conducting daily safety briefing (3.66) rank highest which shows that most sites introduce safety guidelines at the beginning of work. On the level of compliance, the use of PPE (3.84) and safety signage (3.78) rank high which indicates that workers generally comply with direct safety rules that are enforced by supervisors. This bring the conclusion that the level of implementation and compliance of HSMPs on high-rise building construction sites in Abuja is only based on the site provision and culture enforcement. It is recommended that there should be an introduction of incentives and recognition programs that encourage safety compliance. Both government bodies and construction firms should establish incentive schemes for exemplary adherence to safety standards.

Keywords: Health and Safety Management Plan (HSMP), Construction industry, Construction projects, High-rise building, National development

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