Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya

Kemei Raymond; James Wambua Kaluli; Charles Kabubo

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14

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Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya

Kemei Raymond, James Wambua Kaluli, Charles Kabubo

Published in American Journal of Construction and Building Materials (Volume 1, Issue 1)

Received: 23 May 2017 Accepted: 31 May 2017 Published: 20 July 2017

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Abstract

This study included collection of field data using questionnaires and analysis of secondary data from Kenya’s Directorate of occupational safety and Health (DOSH) covering the period between 2010 and 2014. Perhaps due to inadequate training in safety and lack of experience, 74% of the workers who were injured or killed when accidents occurred in construction sites were below 40years old. Some 26% of the accidents occurred during the busiest months of the year, June and July, a period which coincides with the closure of financial year. Also, about a third of construction site accidents occur during the busiest hours of the day (10-11 am, and 3-4 pm). Falling from height and being hit by falling objects contributes towards about 64% of all construction site accidents. The majority of construction companies in Nairobi allocate less than 1% of project budget to health and safety. This could be because most companies do not have a clear accident prevention policy. Five administrative factors rated on a scaled of 0-5, were thought to contribute to accidents: (1) reluctance to provide resources for safety (4.10 ± 0.2); (2) lack of staff training (4.07 ± 0.2); (3) safety regulations not enforced (3.98 ± 0.2); (4) workers not safety conscious (3.83 ± 0.2); and (5) top leaders not being safety aware (3.71 ± 0.2). It is recommended that investment in Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) and also in health and safety training should be prioritized in construction industry. DOSH should be empowered to provide customized safety training, workshops and seminars to enable construction workers minimize accident occurrence.

Published in	American Journal of Construction and Building Materials (Volume 1, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14
Page(s)	26-33
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Safety, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), Construction Sites, In Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

References

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APA Style

Kemei Raymond, James Wambua Kaluli, Charles Kabubo. (2017). Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya. American Journal of Construction and Building Materials, 1(1), 26-33. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14

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ACS Style

Kemei Raymond; James Wambua Kaluli; Charles Kabubo. Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya. Am. J. Constr. Build. Mater. 2017, 1(1), 26-33. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14

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AMA Style

Kemei Raymond, James Wambua Kaluli, Charles Kabubo. Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya. Am J Constr Build Mater. 2017;1(1):26-33. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14,
  author = {Kemei Raymond and James Wambua Kaluli and Charles Kabubo},
  title = {Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya},
  journal = {American Journal of Construction and Building Materials},
  volume = {1},
  number = {1},
  pages = {26-33},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcbm.20170101.14},
  abstract = {This study included collection of field data using questionnaires and analysis of secondary data from Kenya’s Directorate of occupational safety and Health (DOSH) covering the period between 2010 and 2014. Perhaps due to inadequate training in safety and lack of experience, 74% of the workers who were injured or killed when accidents occurred in construction sites were below 40years old. Some 26% of the accidents occurred during the busiest months of the year, June and July, a period which coincides with the closure of financial year. Also, about a third of construction site accidents occur during the busiest hours of the day (10-11 am, and 3-4 pm). Falling from height and being hit by falling objects contributes towards about 64% of all construction site accidents. The majority of construction companies in Nairobi allocate less than 1% of project budget to health and safety. This could be because most companies do not have a clear accident prevention policy. Five administrative factors rated on a scaled of 0-5, were thought to contribute to accidents: (1) reluctance to provide resources for safety (4.10 ± 0.2); (2) lack of staff training (4.07 ± 0.2); (3) safety regulations not enforced (3.98 ± 0.2); (4) workers not safety conscious (3.83 ± 0.2); and (5) top leaders not being safety aware (3.71 ± 0.2). It is recommended that investment in Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) and also in health and safety training should be prioritized in construction industry. DOSH should be empowered to provide customized safety training, workshops and seminars to enable construction workers minimize accident occurrence.},
 year = {2017}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya
AU  - Kemei Raymond
AU  - James Wambua Kaluli
AU  - Charles Kabubo
Y1  - 2017/07/20
PY  - 2017
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14
T2  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JF  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JO  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
SP  - 26
EP  - 33
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0057
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14
AB  - This study included collection of field data using questionnaires and analysis of secondary data from Kenya’s Directorate of occupational safety and Health (DOSH) covering the period between 2010 and 2014. Perhaps due to inadequate training in safety and lack of experience, 74% of the workers who were injured or killed when accidents occurred in construction sites were below 40years old. Some 26% of the accidents occurred during the busiest months of the year, June and July, a period which coincides with the closure of financial year. Also, about a third of construction site accidents occur during the busiest hours of the day (10-11 am, and 3-4 pm). Falling from height and being hit by falling objects contributes towards about 64% of all construction site accidents. The majority of construction companies in Nairobi allocate less than 1% of project budget to health and safety. This could be because most companies do not have a clear accident prevention policy. Five administrative factors rated on a scaled of 0-5, were thought to contribute to accidents: (1) reluctance to provide resources for safety (4.10 ± 0.2); (2) lack of staff training (4.07 ± 0.2); (3) safety regulations not enforced (3.98 ± 0.2); (4) workers not safety conscious (3.83 ± 0.2); and (5) top leaders not being safety aware (3.71 ± 0.2). It is recommended that investment in Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) and also in health and safety training should be prioritized in construction industry. DOSH should be empowered to provide customized safety training, workshops and seminars to enable construction workers minimize accident occurrence.
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Kemei Raymond

Kenya Army Corps of Engineers, Kenya Defense Forces, Nairobi, Kenya
James Wambua Kaluli

School of Biosystems and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
Charles Kabubo

Sustainable Materials Research and Technology Centre, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya

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Kemei Raymond, James Wambua Kaluli, Charles Kabubo. (2017). Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya. American Journal of Construction and Building Materials, 1(1), 26-33. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14

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ACS Style

Kemei Raymond; James Wambua Kaluli; Charles Kabubo. Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya. Am. J. Constr. Build. Mater. 2017, 1(1), 26-33. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14

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AMA Style

Kemei Raymond, James Wambua Kaluli, Charles Kabubo. Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya. Am J Constr Build Mater. 2017;1(1):26-33. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14,
  author = {Kemei Raymond and James Wambua Kaluli and Charles Kabubo},
  title = {Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya},
  journal = {American Journal of Construction and Building Materials},
  volume = {1},
  number = {1},
  pages = {26-33},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcbm.20170101.14},
  abstract = {This study included collection of field data using questionnaires and analysis of secondary data from Kenya’s Directorate of occupational safety and Health (DOSH) covering the period between 2010 and 2014. Perhaps due to inadequate training in safety and lack of experience, 74% of the workers who were injured or killed when accidents occurred in construction sites were below 40years old. Some 26% of the accidents occurred during the busiest months of the year, June and July, a period which coincides with the closure of financial year. Also, about a third of construction site accidents occur during the busiest hours of the day (10-11 am, and 3-4 pm). Falling from height and being hit by falling objects contributes towards about 64% of all construction site accidents. The majority of construction companies in Nairobi allocate less than 1% of project budget to health and safety. This could be because most companies do not have a clear accident prevention policy. Five administrative factors rated on a scaled of 0-5, were thought to contribute to accidents: (1) reluctance to provide resources for safety (4.10 ± 0.2); (2) lack of staff training (4.07 ± 0.2); (3) safety regulations not enforced (3.98 ± 0.2); (4) workers not safety conscious (3.83 ± 0.2); and (5) top leaders not being safety aware (3.71 ± 0.2). It is recommended that investment in Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) and also in health and safety training should be prioritized in construction industry. DOSH should be empowered to provide customized safety training, workshops and seminars to enable construction workers minimize accident occurrence.},
 year = {2017}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Common Construction Site Hazards in Nairobi County, Kenya
AU  - Kemei Raymond
AU  - James Wambua Kaluli
AU  - Charles Kabubo
Y1  - 2017/07/20
PY  - 2017
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14
T2  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JF  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JO  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
SP  - 26
EP  - 33
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0057
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20170101.14
AB  - This study included collection of field data using questionnaires and analysis of secondary data from Kenya’s Directorate of occupational safety and Health (DOSH) covering the period between 2010 and 2014. Perhaps due to inadequate training in safety and lack of experience, 74% of the workers who were injured or killed when accidents occurred in construction sites were below 40years old. Some 26% of the accidents occurred during the busiest months of the year, June and July, a period which coincides with the closure of financial year. Also, about a third of construction site accidents occur during the busiest hours of the day (10-11 am, and 3-4 pm). Falling from height and being hit by falling objects contributes towards about 64% of all construction site accidents. The majority of construction companies in Nairobi allocate less than 1% of project budget to health and safety. This could be because most companies do not have a clear accident prevention policy. Five administrative factors rated on a scaled of 0-5, were thought to contribute to accidents: (1) reluctance to provide resources for safety (4.10 ± 0.2); (2) lack of staff training (4.07 ± 0.2); (3) safety regulations not enforced (3.98 ± 0.2); (4) workers not safety conscious (3.83 ± 0.2); and (5) top leaders not being safety aware (3.71 ± 0.2). It is recommended that investment in Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) and also in health and safety training should be prioritized in construction industry. DOSH should be empowered to provide customized safety training, workshops and seminars to enable construction workers minimize accident occurrence.
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
ER  -

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