Causes of building construction related accident in the south-western states of Nigeria

Abstract

Within the focus of the outcome of any construction activity is the realisation of minimal cost, timely delivery and quality-oriented structure. Nevertheless, above all is the safe execution of the construction site activities, which is a matter of life, most especially lives of the operatives. The study aimed at the identification of the common types of accident, the level of occurrence, as well as the causes of the identified accidents, in order to enable subsequent development of practicable preventive measures against such occurrence. Through an extensive literature review, eighteen (18) different types of accident were identified and were subsequently classified into seven (7) categories. Moreover, well-structured and self-administered questionnaires were administered to construction stakeholders (clients, consultants, contractors, health and safety experts, and the artisans), with the data analysed descriptively, using Relative Important Index via Likert scale. The outcome revealed the four categories of frequently occurring accidents to be: contact with working tools, vehicle-related, slip and trip, and falls. Some crucial inclusions in the list of causes are failure of edge protection, safety standard violations, overloading of scaffold and crane, wrong placement of ladder, loss of control over body movement, failure in the designs, absence of warning signs, over speeding of vehicle, wrong selection of working tools, non-usage of personal protective equipment, improperly installed equipment, horseplay, and poor housekeeping. The study shed light on the most frequent caused of accident which is instrumental to establish a safety planning and precautions.