Safety Practices and Knowledge of Construction Workers on Hazards Associated with Working on Road Construction Sites in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State

Rotifa Stella¹ and Eguvbe Anthony Okeoghene^1,

¹Department of Community Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Cite this paper:
Rotifa Stella and Eguvbe Anthony Okeoghene. Safety Practices and Knowledge of Construction Workers on Hazards Associated with Working on Road Construction Sites in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. World Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2017; 5(1):19-25. doi: 10.12691/jpm-5-1-3

Abstract

Background: The construction industry is considered as one of the most hazardous industrial sectors in many parts of the world wherein the construction workers are more prone to accidents. Statistics maintained by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), illustrate that the Construction Industry has a consistently poor record on workers health, safety and welfare relative to other industries. The construction industry is faced with unique safety and health problems that require special attention especially in a developing country like Nigeria. There is little or no data available on morbidity and work- related injuries and associated factors among road construction workers, and in the academic circle, few studies have been conducted among road construction workers. Objectives: To assess safety practices and knowledge of construction workers on hazards associated with working on road construction sites. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was done amongst all construction site workers and their supervisors involved in road construction that have spent at least 6momths on the job in Egor LGA, Edo State. A one stage cluster sampling technique was used to select the study population. Data were collected using a structure questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: Majority of the respondents 204(94.9%) had good knowledge of road construction site hazards. Age and duration of employment was not found to statistically, significantly influence knowledge in this study. However, educational level and hours of work per week greater than 48 hours were both found to influence respondents’ knowledge of road construction site hazards positively. Conclusion: The study showed that road construction workers in Egor local government area of Edo state had good knowledge of road construction site hazards, although their knowledge did not translate to regular use of their safety devices. The study shows obvious need for thorough orientation, training and education of construction site workers in Egor LGA.

Keywords:
safety practices workers knowledge hazards construction sites

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