AN ASSESSMENT OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT DURING CONSTRUCTION (A STUDY OF MATRIX OIL & GAS COMPANY, WARRI)

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page

Approval page

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Abstract

Table of content

CHAPTER ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION 

1.1        Background of the study

1.2        Statement of problem

1.3        Research questions

1.4        Objective of the study

1.5        Significance of the study

1.6        Scope of the study

1.7       Definition of terms

CHAPETR TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 introduction

2.2 conceptual review

2.3 empirical review

CHAPETR THREE

3.0        Research methodology

3.1    sources of data collection

3.3        Population of the study

3.4        Sampling and sampling distribution

3.5        Validation of research instrument

3.6        Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Introductions

4.2 Data analysis

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Summary

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendation

Appendix

Abstract

The construction industry requires an ability to assess a given construction organization’s safety performance, and to identify areas in need of improvement. To fulfill this need, a framework has been developed to evaluate a safety management program with an emphasis on organizational processes. The result is an organizational safety maturity model based on the hypothesis that continuous improvement of the safety program denotes higher organizational maturity and greater safety performance.

CHAPTER ONE

                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

The importance of the Construction Industry to national economies the world over cannot be over emphasized. According to Mike et al (2011), by 2020 construction will account for 13.2% of world GDP indicating an upward trend. This is seen in the provision of basic infrastructure such as road networks, commercial and residential buildings and facilities to the other sectors of economies. Also construction’s sizeable amount of economic growth is through backward and forward linkages since construction activities utilize goods and services from other industries. Employment creation by construction activities is another important aspect in economic development. In the Nigerian economy construction industry accounts for 5% of the country’s GDP and employs about 1 million people with an estimated annual wage bill of K.sh. 3.2 billion according to recent findings of the first quarter of 2011 by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).  The construction industry cannot rely on the more common metrics for measuring safety performance as benchmarks through which to pursue improvements. It has been established that the safety performance of construction organizations is indicative of many other related aspects of the company, such as employee morale, project costs, and productivity (Mohamed 1999). Therefore, assessing construction safety management practices (at the organizational and industry level) against practices which result in better performance can provide some assistance in determining areas for improvement. This is a complement to measuring performance based solely on lagging metrics for safety performance such as the number of incidents per hours worked. From this perspective, an assessment of safety management practices provides a leading indication of safety performance and indicates, with more precision, areas which should be addressed to positively impact both safety and overall performance. The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries (Edwards & Nicholas, 2002). Despite the significant improvement since the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, workers still experience high injury and fatality rates in comparison to other industries (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2012 alone, the construction industry experienced 856 fatalities, and accounted for 19% of all fatalities among all industries (BLS, 2013). There are more than 60,000 fatalities reported every year in the construction industry around the world (Lingard, 2013). In the United States, the number of fatal injuries in construction increased by 16% from 2011 to 2014 (BLS, 2015). According to Zhou et al. (2015), the construction industry is far from reaching the goal of zero injuries. 2014 was a particularly dangerous year. Fatalities increased 5% (or 40 individuals) to 885, which is the highest number since 2008 (BLS, 2015). Almost half of all fatalities in 2014 were contracted workers (415 workers) working on construction projects, which, 108 of them were laborers, 48 of them were electricians, 44 of them were first line supervisors, 42 of them were roofers, and 25 of them were painters and construction maintenance workers (BLS, 2015). The death rate for construction workers in the U.S seems to be significantly higher than rates around the world (Ringen et al., 1995). Lack of uniform parameters globally makes the comparison complicated. As an example, U.S studies include hazardous material waste cleanup, but European countries usually do not. The German fatality rate does not include structural steel erection (Ringen et al., 1995). The accuracy of this data is often argued. According to Weddle (1997), injury surveillance systems could have problems at either employee level, organizational level, or both. With the first case, the employee should inform his/her employer. If this does not happen, there is no record of it. Second, organizations must accurately record injuries in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) log of work-related injuries and illness in form 300 based on OSHA guidelines. If the data for the logs are not accurate, then it leads to flawed data in the BLS.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Construction project is faced with several problems and experience accidents that endanger the lives of its occupants, destroy facilities and equipment within them, and affect other neighbouring structures Ede, (2014). The most feared hazards of tall buildings around the world are fire, terroristic attaches and building collapse. According to Mohamed (1999), accidents on construction sites, causes many human tragedies, de-motivate workers, disrupt site activities, delay project progress, and adversely affect the overall cost, productivity and reputation of the construction industry.

Despite the documented positive gains brought by the construction industry, there are negative attributes which are associated with construction work. Construction work is dangerous, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates at least 60,000 fatal accidents a year on construction sites around the world that is one in six of all fatal work related accidents. The global trade union federation puts the figure much higher at 108,000 with construction responsible for 30% of all work related accidents.  In recognition of the problems above, countries all over the world have seen the necessity of improving occupational health and safety management on construction sites, particularly to reduce the number of accidents on construction sites.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The study has one main objectives which is further divided into specific and general objectives, the specific objective; the general objective is on an assessment of safety management during construction with emphasis on Matrix oil and gas company Warri, the specific objectives are;

1. i) To examine the level of compliance with safety regulations and policies in construction project
2. ii) To examine the relationship between safety management and the growth of Matrix oil and gas company

iii) To examine the factors that prevents compliance to safety practices in high rise construction projects of Nigerian construction industry

1. iv) To proffer suggested solution to the identified problem

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;

1. i) Is there any relationship between safety management and the growth of Matrix oil and Gas Company?
2. ii) Is the level of compliance with safety regulations and policies in construction project adequate?

iii) Are there factors that prevents compliance to safety practices in high rise construction projects of Nigerian construction industry?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;

H₀: There is no relationship between safety management and the growth of Matrix oil and Gas Company

H₁: There is a relationship between safety management and the growth of Matrix oil and Gas Company

H₀: The level of compliance with safety regulations and policies in construction project is not adequate

H₂: The level of compliance with safety regulations and policies in construction project is adequate

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings of this study will help bring to the attention of the stakeholders in the building construction industry and more so to the building construction firms the importance of occupational health and safety culture in work places, in this case the construction sites. The study also brings to light the fact that clients in a project do contribute significantly towards the implementation of occupational health and safety measures in their building projects when such requirements are included the tender documents. The study will generally contribute to the body of knowledge in the subject of health and safety in the building industry sector. This research will also be of great significance to academia and practitioners in the field of construction management by exploring inadequacies and inefficiencies in occupational and health safety compliance in the Nigerian context. In addition, exploring the potentials for more studies to be conducted towards formulating comprehensive frameworks for ensuring safety compliance most especially in high rise building construction.

1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study covers an assessment of safety management during construction  with emphasis on Matrix oil and gas company Warri, but in the course of the study, there are some factors that limit the scope of the study;

AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study

TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

FINANCE: The finance available for the research work does not allow for wider coverage as resources are very limited as the researcher has other academic bills to cover.

1.8 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Safety

Safety is the state of being “safe”, the condition of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.

Safety management system

A safety management system (SMS) is a management system designed to manage safety elements in the workplace. It includes policy, objectives, plans, procedures, organization, responsibilities and other measures.

Construction

Construction is the process of constructing a building or infrastructure. Construction differs from manufacturing in that manufacturing typically involves mass production of similar items without a designated purchaser, while construction typically takes place on location for a known client.

1.9 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), statement of problem, objectives of the study, research question, significance or the study, research methodology, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlight the theoretical framework on which the study its based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.

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