ABSTRACT
The research explored and analyzed the influence of national culture on
workers safety climate in the Nigeria construction industry. It identified the
attitudes and perceptions of construction workers towards safety, the national
culture dimensions that influence workers attitudes and perceptions and the
relationship between the national culture dimensions and construction workers
safety climate. It employed survey research method where two set of similar
questionnaires were structured and distributed to a total of 180 respondents
which comprised 120 site operatives and 60 site management personnel. Out of
the total number of questionnaire distributed only 141 were returned and
utilized for analysis. Data obtained from the questionnaire survey were
subjected to analysis using the following statistical tools; simple bar chart,
pie charts, frequency tables and percentages. Means score Index and standard
deviation were calculated and used to evaluate the effects of safety climate
factors and national culture dimensions on workers attitudes and perceptions towards
safety. Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used to
determine the relationship between national culture dimensions and safety
climate, while two-tailed t-test was used to ascertain the significance of the
correlation of the relationship. Again, one-way ANOVA was used to determine if
there is any significant difference between the opinions of operatives and
managers on the influence of national culture on workers safety climate. It was
then found that workers involvement and beliefs and perceptions were among the
safety climate factors that mostly affect workers attitudes and perceptions
towards safety while the low mean values for management commitment and safety
education and training indicates the level of management commitment to safety
issues on construction sites. Five national cultural dimensions: power
distance, collectivism, femininity, uncertainty avoidance and long term
orientation greatly influence safety climate of construction workers. All the
five culture dimensions except long term orientation have a very high positive
correlation with safety climate. The correlation coefficients of the other four
dimensions ranged from 0.75 to 0.99 while long term orientation dimension has
correlation coefficients of 0.47 and 0.65 for operatives and managers
respectively. Also the influence of all the five culture dimensions were
statistically significant on workers safety climate at 5% significances level
except for the long term orientation dimension which was not significant at 5% significance
level. Likewise, there was no significant difference between the opinions of
site operatives and site management personnel at 5% significance level, except
for the power distance dimension which showed a significant difference as a
result of large power distance between the operatives and management due to
their job positions. In view of these, there is urgent need for the speedy
passage of National Building Code Enforcement Bill so as to enforce the usage
of project health and safety plan in all construction works, provision of
health and safety regulations for construction work, training of site workers
in basic safety practices, and putting into consideration workers cultural
values and beliefs whenever any project is being embarked upon as it affects
workers beliefs and perceptions and attitudes towards safety.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
Construction industry is
the hub of social and economic development in all countries of the world.
Though in 2009, construction industry contributed only 1.98% of the
total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the Nigeria economy (National Bureau of
Statistics, 2010a); its importance and roles in the development of economy of
any nation can never be disputed.
However, when compared with other labour
intensive industries, construction industry has historically experienced a
disproportionately high rate of disability injuries and fatalities for its size
(Hinze, 1997). The industry alone produces 30% of all fatal industrial
accidents across the European Union (EU), yet it employs only 10% of the
working population (Mckenzie et al., 1999); in The United States of America
(USA), it accounts for 22% of all fatal accidents and only 7% of the employed
(Che Hassan et al., 2007). Bomel (2001) notes that in Japan, construction
accidents account for 30%-40% of the overall industrial accidents, with the
total being 50% in Ireland and 25% in the United Kingdom (UK). This situation
is even worse in the developing countries and Nigeria in particular, because
there are no reliable sources of data for such accident records.
Though, notable improvements have been
achieved in terms of workers safety at site, the industry has continue to lag
behind most other industries with regard to safety (National Safety Council,
1999). This notorious nature of construction industry in terms of
safety is confirmed by Farooqui et al. (2008).
Davis and Tomasin (1996) observe that there
are a number of reasons why accident records within the construction industry
compare poorly with those of the manufacturing industry. In factories, there is
normally a controlled working environment, with little change in the working
procedures and equipment over long periods; additionally, the labour force
usually remains fairly stable. Thus, once identified, hazards can be remedied
with relative ease, and danger mitigated. However, the situation is quite
different in construction industry as the working environment and labours are
constantly changing (Davis & Tomasin, 1996).
Hinze (1997) also observes that health and
safety in construction industry is susceptible to dangers because of its
fragmented nature, the uncertain and technically complex nature of construction
work, the uncontrollable environment in which production takes place, the
employment practices, and the financial and time pressures imposed upon project
participants. Rowlinson and Lingard (1996) added that the prototype nature of
work, low education level of the workforce, and high levels of subcontracting
contribute to the poor health and safety performance in the construction
industry.
In developing countries, construction
industry has performed far below the expectation in the areas of health and
safety. The situation is quite pathetic in Nigeria because there is no existing
functional legislation to that effect. Even the National Building Code which
was approved by the National Executive Council since 2006, which Enforcement
Bill is before the National Assembly
has not been passed into law till date. Based on this, the International Labour
Organization (ILO) (1987) attributes the poor health and safety records and
performances in construction projects with developing countries to:
§
The high proportion of small firms and high
number of self employed workers;
§
The variety and comparatively short life of
construction sites;
§
The high labour turnover;
§
The large proportion of seasonal and migrant
workers; and
§
Various trades and occupations working in the
same area.
It is based on these facts that safety climate and culture and national
culture as factors that affect health and safety performance in construction
industry are bring to focus.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
According to Mohamed (1999), accidents on
construction sites, cause 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. 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.
Then, it has been
established that unsafe behavior is intrinsically linked to workplace
accidents. Also different types of construction site accidents such as fall
from height, hitting by falling object, electrocution, etc are often associated
with person’s attitude. It has also been confirmed that a positive correlation
exists between workers safe behavior and safety climate within construction
site environment, and that workers attitudes towards safety are influenced by
their risk perceptions, risk management, safety rules and procedures and
cultural background (Che Hassan et al., 2007; Fogarty & Shaw, 2010; Glendon
& Litherland, 2001; Ho & Zeta, 2004; Ismail et al., 2009; Mohamed,
2002; Mohd Saidin et al., 2008; Salminen &Seppala, 2005).
Currently, Nigeria is enjoying relatively
strong growth in construction activities. Unfortunately, it is disheartening
that enforcement of safety regulations is not widespread within the country.
Researchers in some quarters have argue that the framework of existing
occupational and health conditions of Nigeria construction industry if any, is
grossly fragmented and inadequately enforced (Idoro,2007, 2008). Just like in
any other industry, good health and safety conditions constitute good and safe
business practice. It is a general believe that integration of health and
safety measures with a total management system, within the construction sector
in Nigeria could contribute significantly to cost efficiency, quality
assurance, environmental sustainability, better employee-employer relation and
better satisfaction.
Divergent perceptions,
behaviours and actions exhibited by construction workers which have led to
serious accidents on site have been linked to different cultural backgrounds.
These cultural differences have some significant impact on industrial safety
climate (Ali, 2006; Che-Hassan et al., 2007; Ismail et al., 2009); and help
understands different approaches to accident prevention and safety management.
Ngowi and Mothibi (1996) found that cultural differences were the major reason
for viewing safety procedures differently on construction sites in Botswana.
Literature review shows that there are
inadequate or insufficient research work on the impact of national culture on
safety conditions and climate in Nigeria construction industry. The gap
therefore, forms the thrust of this work which focuses on the characteristics
and culture of construction personnel (site operatives and management), and how
they influence the safety climate of the work place.
This work is entirely concerned with the
safety climate of Nigeria construction industry and more specifically, the
safety perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of construction workers and management
safety practices in Nigeria. It seeks to establish if national culture have any
significant influence on safety climate of Nigeria construction workers. The
study finally attempts to analyze and weigh if there is any significant
difference in the influence of national culture on construction safety climate
among workers and managers.
The primary aim of this study is to explore
and analyze the influence of national culture on construction safety climate in
Nigeria. In arriving at this aim, the following objectives are to be achieved:
a)
To determine safety climate factors that affect
workers perceptions and attitudes towards safety on construction site;
b)
To determine the national culture dimensions
that influence workers safety perceptions and attitudes (safety climate) on
construction site;
c)
To establish if national culture dimensions have
any significant influence on construction workers’ safety climate; and
d)
To establish if any significant difference exist
in the influence of national culture on construction workers’ safety climate
among operatives and managers.
1.4 SCOPE
AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The subject of this study is specifically
on the effects of national culture dimensions on the behaviours, perceptions,
beliefs, attitudes, values, and commitments of Nigerian construction workers to
safety (safety climate) on construction sites. It considers only three major
Nigerian ethnic groups (Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba), and also construction workers
of Nigerian origin. This is because in most social sciences research, these
ethnic groups (the Igbo, the Hausa and the Yoruba) are often used to reflect
the entire nation.
Similarities on the cultures of these three ethnic groups were extracted to
form the Nigeria National Culture. This study was exclusively carried out on
some selected construction sites within the South East States of Nigeria and
Delta State. The simple reason is that there are enough big construction sites going
on in this area as at the time of the study.
However, the research was not without some
peculiar challenges, among which are:
§
Unwillingness of respondents to respond to the
questions in the questionnaire. This problem is more with the site management
team.
§
Some sites require formal application before you
can be granted access/permission to interview their workers or distribute
questionnaire.
§
Low level of education among many construction
workers makes it very hard for them to understand what they are required to do
in the questionnaire. So it required a detailed explanation, though the
questionnaire questions are simple.
§
Difficulty in recovering of questionnaires
issued due to absences of some respondents at the time of researcher’s visit.
§
Low level of research and publication on the
subject matter with respect to Nigeria and other African Countries.
According to Maslow’s theory of human
needs, safety (security) ranked second to physiological needs in the hierarchy
of human needs. Hence, the reason for studying influence of culture on safety
climate of construction workers in Nigeria. Although, a lot has been done on
this subject matter in the developed and Asian countries, not much have been done
in Africa especially in Nigeria. Therefore, the result of this study will
contribute immensely to the existing body of knowledge.
It will update Hofstede’s works on national
culture dimensions with respect to Nigeria. It will help foreign and local contractors
doing construction business in Nigeria on how to handle safety issues. It will
also help them to manage properly those cultural values of Nigeria construction
workers that affect safety on construction sites. It will equally help
contractors to know the nature of people and environment they are working on.
This study will help construction professionals and managers to know how to
deal with different people with diverse cultural values on the construction
sites as it affects safety. It will proffer practical approaches on how to
handle safety management issues on Nigeria construction sites for various
managers at construction sites.
From the result of this study, Nigerian
government will see the need to put in place adequate laws and regulations that
will step down the rate of accidents on Nigeria construction sites. And also
put in place the mechanism that will ensure that such laws and regulations are
strictly enforced and abided by those concerned.
The
research work is carried out in line with the following research questions:
a)
What are the factors that affect workers
attitudes and perceptions towards safety?
b)
How do you react to safety situations on site?
c)
What are the cultural values of workers that
affect their attitudes and perceptions towards safety on site?
d)
How does culture influences workers attitudes
and perception towards safety?
1.7 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
In order to give direction to this work,
two hypotheses are postulated. These hypotheses assist in guiding the research
towards solving the research problems. They also aid interpretation and
analysis of data collected to reach valuable conclusion. The hypotheses were
arranged into null hypothesis (H0) and alternative hypothesis (H1).
HYPOTHESIS
ONE:
Null
hypothesis (H0):
Cultural dimensions do not significantly
influence the safety climate of construction workers on site.
Cultural dimensions do significantly influence the safety climate of
construction workers on site.
HYPOTHESIS
TWO:
Null
hypothesis (H0):
There is no significant difference between
the opinions of operatives and managers on the influence of national culture on
construction workers safety climate.
Alternative
hypothesis (H1):
There is significant difference between the
opinions of operatives and managers on the influence of national culture on
construction workers safety climate.
1.8 THESIS
STRUCTURE
The thesis is logically arranged into five
(5) chapters and appendices. Figure 1 provides a graphical overview of the
thesis structure. The structure is then described in the following paragraphs.
Chapter one: This
chapter summarizes the background of this research work. It describes
the rationale (statement of the problem) for the current study, followed by the
setting of the research objectives, the scope and limitation of the study, its
significance and the research questions, which finally culminated into
formulating research hypotheses.
Chapter two: This
chapter commences with the role and importance of safety management
within the construction industry. It then presents a review of the available
literature, addressing the difference techniques for measuring safety
performance within the industry. It further, thoroughly, reviews the concept of
safety climate as an identified popular safety performance measurement tool.
This chapter also provides a review of the importance of safe work behavior and
its relationship to the safety climate concept, reviews the literature on
national culture including different frameworks and cultural dimensions
developed to measure national culture, along with its importance to the
construction industry. This chapter then provides a general overview of
Nigeria, initially with an introduction on the geographical position and
salient features of the economy. Further, it discusses the Nigeria national
culture and factors which have influenced Nigerian culture. It finally assesses
the Nigerian construction industry and concludes with an overview of the
prevailing safety and health conditions in Nigeria construction industry.
Chapter three: This
chapter discusses in detail, the research methodology adopted for this
research study. The chapter contains a detailed description of the selection
and development of data collection tools, sources of data collection,
population and sample selection, the method of data collection and a brief
introduction to the method of data analysis.
Chapter four: This
chapter presents, in detail the data analysis and results of the
administrated surveys for construction workers and management and also the
results of the role of national culture on workers and managers’ safety climate
and finally with the summary of major findings of the study.
Chapter five: This
chapter simply provides the reader with a general conclusion and
recommendations. It presents its recommendation based on the research findings
and finally looks into future research work avenues.
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Item Type: Project Material | Size: 136 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
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