Construction industry remains the dangerous industry in the world, due to the nature of work and the working environment which exposes workers to different types of hazards and occupational accidents. Construction workers are also at risk of developing occupational related health conditions due to the exposure to occupational hazards. A cross - sectional, quantitative, descriptive study was conducted to collect the data regarding occupational health and safety status in the construction industry. Data was collected with questionnaires developed based on the literatures and the World Health Organization Healthy workplace model. The study found out that the provision of occupational health and safety in the Windhoek construction industry is in poor status. Furthermore, construction work is mainly for male, young workers aged between 18 to 29 years. The mean age is 31.48 years. The study results also indicated that occupational hazards are prevalent in the construction industry. Nevertheless, most participants indicated that occupational accidents are not common in the construction sites. The study recommended the development of practical guidelines to improve the occupational health and safety status in the construction industry. The recommended guidelines should be implemented in all construction sites .
Construction industry is regarded as dangerous industry in the world due to the higher number of occupational accidents, injuries and diseases in the sector than any other sectors [
According to the United States Department of Labour’s 2010 Bureau of Labour Statistics, occupational hazards, such as falls from height, were higher and accounted for 14% of the fatal construction industries injuries in the USA [
The construction industry exposes workers to health risks which may cause construction workers to develop work-related health problems [
The most common health problems in developing countries, are deafness and musculoskeletal disorders, which are a result of exposure to hazards. Therefore, governments should put up measures to ensure OHS compliances in order to prevent occupational related health problems [
A study by Smallwood [
In Namibia studies that investigated occupational accidents, injuries, fatalities and diseases in the construction industry are very limited and statistics regarding occupational diseases for construction workers from the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Namibia were not identified. However, the rate of occupational injuries and fatalities in the Namibia construction industry is higher when compared to other industries [
According to the Regulations relating to health and safety of employees at work (No 156 of 1997) the employer is required to provide adequate toilet and washing facilities, resting rooms and a clothes storing area in order to benefit the OHS of workers, in Namibia [
Provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is important in ensuring OHS at workplaces, especially, when properly selected and used by workers, as they provide protection against risks [
This ground-breaking study provides a description of the current OHS status of the construction companies in Windhoek, Namibia. It is envisaged that the study will facilitate the improvement of OHS in the country’s construction sector. Very little is known about the OHS status of Namibia’s construction industry, hence, this study will offer a chance for policy makers to appreciate better the OHS situation in the construction industry and the ways in which the sector can be improved as suggested in the study findings.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the occupational health and safety status in the construction industry of Windhoek, Namibia. The study objectives were to assess the socio-demographic characteristic of the construction workers in Windhoek, Namibia and to assess the occupational health status in the construction industry of Windhoek, Namibia.
A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory and contextual study design was used in this study to describe the OHS status in the construction industry of Windhoek, Namibia. The study’s setting included all construction workers in the construction sites in Windhoek, Namibia which were in operation during the time of data collection. The target population consisted of all construction workers in the construction sites operating during the time of data collection in Windhoek, Namibia. The researchers obtained the lists of names of all construction workers from the site managers for thirteen construction sites operating during the study and were used as samplings frames. Census sampling was employed by recruiting all 1097 construction workers who were available during data collection time to participate in the study. However, only 549 construction workers agreed to participate in the study.
Data was collected by the researchers for a period of six months from October 2014 to March 2015. The data was collected using face to face interviews, using a self-designed structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed based on the reviewed literature and the World Health Organization Healthy workplace model, the framework underpinned this study [
A professional statistician assisted the researcher with data analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the OHS situation in the Windhoek construction industry.
The analysis, as indicated in
Characteristic of participants | Frequencies (n) | Percentage (%) |
---|---|---|
Gender Male | 485 | 88.3% |
Female | 64 | 11.7% |
Age groups of workers in years 18 - 29 | 235 | 42.8% |
30 - 39 years | 229 | 41.9% |
40 - 49 years | 83 | 15.1% |
50 - 59 years | 2 | 0.4% |
Marital status Single | 364 | 66.2% |
Married | 137 | 25% |
Divorced | 14 | 2.6% |
Widowed | 4 | 0.7% |
Separated | 8 | 1.5% |
Cohabiting | 22 | 4% |
Education level None | 32 | 5.8% |
Primary | 210 | 38.3% |
Secondary | 275 | 50.1% |
Tertiary | 35 | 5.8% |
Occupation status Bricklayer | 124 | 22.6% |
Painter | 66 | 12% |
Electrician | 29 | 5.3% |
Plumber | 62 | 11.3% |
Engineer | 7 | 1.2% |
Carpenter | 70 | 12.8% |
Labourer | 123 | 22.4% |
Driver | 15 | 2.7% |
Other | 53 | 9.7% |
Employment Type Permanent | 400 | 72.9% |
Fixed | 83 | 15.1% |
Casual | 66 | 12% |
study were males and 11.7% were females. The participants’ age group distribution consists of 42.8% participants aged between 18 and 29 years followed by 41.7% occupying the 30 - 39 age range. The mean overall age is 31.48 years. Furthermore, of these workers, 66.2% were single, while 25% were married.
The participants’ educational background and their respective occupations, were also analysed. The findings show that 50.1% participants had secondary education, while 38.3% participants had attained a primary level education qualifications. The analysis shows further the participants “occupations as follows: 22.6% bricklayers, 22.4% labourers, 12.8% carpenters, 12% painters, 11.3% plumbers, 9.7% other category of construction workers, 5.3% electricians, 2.7% drivers, and 1.2% were engineers. Finally, the analysis also shows that 72.9% of the participants were permanent workers, 15.1% were employed on fixed contract, while 12% were casual workers.
Participants were asked if physical hazards were present on the construction sites and the findings are illustrated in
Participants were asked to indicate whether psychosocial hazards, such as discrimination and victimisation had ever happened on the construction sites. The analysis reveals that, 10.2% of the participants indicated that discrimination had
happened at their worksites. Furthermore, the analysis shows that only 8.6% of the participants indicated that victimisation had ever happened on the construction sites.
The analysis shows that falls from above were reported by 21.3% of the participants and 15% participants confirmed the occurrence of cut by machinery. The analysis also shows that 12.9% of the participants confirmed witnessing incidents of sticking by falling objects at their construction sites. The analysis of data on the question whether struck-by-moving-objects accidents had transpired at the construction sites indicated that 10.9% of the participants agreed and electrocution was reported by 11.1% of the participants.
Participants were also asked about motor vehicle accidents at the construction sites. In this regard, the analysis shows that 8.9% of the participants had experienced motor vehicle accidents in their respective sites. Lastly, participants were asked about the experience of trench burying on the construction sites, and the analysis of the responses demonstrated that 8.7% of the participants reported that trench burying accidents had ever happened at their construction sites. The results regarding occupational accidents are illustrated in
Participants were asked to indicate if they whether provided with certain amenities regarding OHS such as welfare facilities and PPE. The question regarding if toilet facilities were provided in the construction sites an analysis of the responses shows that 96.9% of the participants confirmed that toilet facilities were provided at the construction sites. Further analysis of the response data shows
that 48.8% of the participants indicated that toilets were demarcated for males and females as per Regulations relating to the health and safety of employees at work (Regulation 156 of 1997). However, the analysis shows that 28.1% of the participants stated that hand washing soaps were available in the toilets. Meanwhile, 96.0% of the participants confirmed that they were getting rest breaks, however, only 19.5% participants indicated that rest rooms were available on their respective construction sites. Lastly, the analysis further indicates that 89.3% of the participants confirmed the non-existence of designated smoking areas at their respective construction sites.
On the question whether participants were provided with PPE at work 82.9% of the participants agreed that PPE were provided at work. Furthermore, 12% of the participants usually made personal payments to get PPE. Further, 83.4% of the participants indicated that PPE were fitting properly and 82.3% of the participants felt comfortable while wearing PPE. The data gathered from the question about whether participants were given replacements when PPE is worn out was analysed and the results show that 77.2% of the participants confirmed having been given replacements after their PPE had worn out. Finally, the analysis regarding participants’ use of PPE while performing their work indicates that 75.6% participants stated that they were using PPE during their work.
Participants were asked to indicate whether they had experienced any work-related health problems, such as back pain, skin problems, and difficulties in breathing or hearing complications during the six months prior to the study. The analysis shows that 58.1% participants had suffered from back pain, 23.1% participants reported that they had had breathing difficulties. The analysis shows further that 18.8% of the participants had experienced skin problem and 7.7% of the participants had difficulties in hearing.
The findings from this current study showed that male participants were significantly more that female participants. This finding is consistent with several demographic data about the construction industries such as that found in Hong Kong [
The findings revealed that more than two-fifths of the participants were aged between 18 and 39 years. This study finding is almost similar to that from a study conducted on Tanzania’s construction industry where 56.3% of the participants were in the 25 - 35 age range [
The current study findings indicated that just below two-thirds of the participants were single. The findings concur with that from the study conducted on the Portuguese construction industry which stated that the industry mostly employs single young men [
The findings regarding the education level show that just above half of workers in the construction industry obtained secondary education. The findings are in agreement with those from the study conducted on the Saudi Arabian construction industry that revealed that 45.5% of the participants completed secondary education while 33.3% completed primary education [
This current study finding indicated that bricklayers represent the highest number of workers followed by labourers. Similar findings have been reported in a study conducted by Himalowa and Frantz [
The findings of the current study indicated that the majority of participants were employed on a permanent basis. This contradicts several authors’ that stated that the majority of construction workers work on a temporary or casual basis [
The current study showed that the significant majority of participants indicated that noise was a common physical hazard at the study sites. This study finding is also evident in [
The findings from the current study revealed that the majority of participants indicated that vibration was not a common hazard at the study sites. The findings are similar with that from a previous study in Spain which found out that only one-fifth of the participants reported the presence of vibration at the construction sites [
It emerged, from the findings of this current study that, an overwhelming majority of the participants indicated that chemical hazards were present at the study sites. The findings are similar to those from studies conducted on the construction industry, such as the study on knowledge and research information sharing on construction health and safety practices in Malaysia [
The current study findings indicated that back pain was experienced by three-fifths of the participants. This finding is in agreement with that from a study by Alghadir and Anwer [
The current study’s results indicated that a few participants reported that had difficulties in breathing. The current study finding concurs with that from [
The current study’s findings show that a few participants had experienced difficulties in hearing. The findings are supporting the study conducted [
It emerged from the findings of the current study that an overwhelming majority of participants indicated that toilet facilities were provided at the study sites. In contrast to this study’s finding, inadequate welfare facilities in the construction industry were reported by 55% of the participants in [
This current study showed that the majority of the participants indicated that they were provided with PPE, free of charge. The findings are also confirmed in related literatures such as [
The study was aimed at investigating the OHS status in the construction industry of Windhoek, Namibia using a questionnaire. Results shows that occupational hazards are prevalent in the construction sites, however, there was a poor provision of OHS which may affect the health and quality of life of construction workers. The results also indicated that construction industry of Windhoek is dominated by male, young workers. It was concluded that due to the poor status of OHS in Windhoek construction industry, there is a need to develop a practical guidelines and to implement it on all construction sites in order to improve the OHS status in the construction industry.
Ethical clearance was given from the University of South Africa (UNISA), Department of Health Studies research ethical committee before data collection process. Permission to conduct the study was sought and obtained from the site managers of the construction sites with participants participated in the study before data collection. Furthermore, permission was sought and obtained from the Khomas Regional Council as Windhoek is located in the Khomas region and regional council offices should sanction any research activities taking place in the region. Study a purpose was explained to the participants and consent to participate in the study was signed by the participants before the data collection process. The data collection tools were piloted, and were adapted according to the feedback from the pilot testing. Same data collection tool was used to collect the data for reliability.
The researchers would like to thank the Department of Health Studies, UNISA research ethical committee for approving this study. Furthermore, we would like to thank the chairperson for the Khomas Regional Council for granting us permission to conduct the study in Khomas region. We also thank the construction site managers for granting us permission to conduct this study on their respective construction sites. Lastly, our sincere gratitude goes to the participants who voluntarily participated in to this study.
Both authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Nghitanwa, E.M. and Zungu, L. (2017) Occupational Health and Safety Status in the Windhoek Construction Industry: A Namibian Perspective. Open Journal of Safety Science and Technology, 7, 113-127. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojsst.2017.73011