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Strategies for health and safety management in Ghana

Kweku Bedu Simpson (Department of Architectural Drafting, Accra Technical Training Centre, Accra, Ghana)
Aloysius Sam (Department of Building Technology, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana)

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology

ISSN: 1726-0531

Article publication date: 26 September 2019

Issue publication date: 9 March 2020

534

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the contemporary strategies for Health and Safety (H&S) management practices at the construction sites in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed method approach in conducting a cross-sectional survey at 28 active construction sites in the Kumasi and Accra metropolises of Ghana using questionnaires and interview guide by using purposive, convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Data were collected from 170 survey respondents and 18 interview participants comprising artisans and management staff.

Findings

On H&S management practices, the study found that most construction sites have policies for H&S delivery and are duly followed and enforced. Nonetheless, construction workers moderately agreed that there was reward for; the avoidance and reduction of accidents and illnesses, good H&S behaviour and provision for insurance and hospital claims. It was also revealed that most of the construction sites adopt either one or a combination of mandatory H&S standards. Generally, most workers possessed a fairly positive perception about the H&S management practices at their sites and were either satisfied or very satisfied with its performance.

Research limitations/implications

Generalizing the findings beyond the study areas is limited because of the use of the non-probability sampling techniques.

Originality/value

This study focused on the active construction sites in the study areas to investigate their H&S practices against the backdrop of numerous publications describing the general H&S situation in Ghana as poor. It revealed the current H&S performance of the construction sites for the benefit of the construction industry, researchers and the academia.

Keywords

Citation

Simpson, K.B. and Sam, A. (2020), "Strategies for health and safety management in Ghana", Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 431-450. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-07-2019-0189

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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