IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/conmgt/v26y2008i11p1159-1169.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Health and safety management in developing countries: a study of construction SMEs in Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Nongiba Kheni
  • Andy Dainty
  • Alistair Gibb

Abstract

The construction industry plays a significant role in the economy of developing countries. The sector is, however, also one of the most hazardous with frequent accidents and health-related problems. The health and safety practices of construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana are examined with a view to improving the health and safety performance of the sector. A survey questionnaire was administered to owner/managers of SMEs, with a response rate of 32% of the sampling frame. Few of the SMEs adopted proactive health and safety practices. However, health and safety practices identified as being particularly associated with firm characteristics were: accident investigation procedures; accident reporting procedures; use of health and safety posters; documentation of method statements; and health and safety inductions. The diversity of health and safety practices associated with different size categories of SMEs and constraints to improving health and safety are highlighted. A positive change is needed in the attitudes of owner/managers which takes into account size-related constraints in order to improve the health and safety performance of Ghanaian SMEs.

Suggested Citation

  • Nongiba Kheni & Andy Dainty & Alistair Gibb, 2008. "Health and safety management in developing countries: a study of construction SMEs in Ghana," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(11), pages 1159-1169.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:26:y:2008:i:11:p:1159-1169
    DOI: 10.1080/01446190802459916
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01446190802459916
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/01446190802459916?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:ilo:ilowps:486930 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Mitullah, Winnie V. & Njeri Wachira, Isabella., 2003. "Informal labour in the construction industry in Kenya : a case study of Nairobi," ILO Working Papers 994869303402676, International Labour Organization.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ahmed Shakil, 2019. "Causes of Accident at Construction Sites in Bangladesh," Organization, Technology and Management in Construction, Sciendo, vol. 11(1), pages 1933-1951, January.
    2. Joana Eva Dodoo & Hosam Al-Samarraie, 2019. "Factors leading to unsafe behavior in the twenty first century workplace: a review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 69(4), pages 391-414, November.
    3. Eric Adzivor & Fidelis Emuze & Moses Ahiabu & Moses Kusedzi, 2024. "Scaling up a Positive Safety Culture among Construction Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Ghana," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(7), pages 1-18, June.
    4. R. Tasmin & M. H. Muazu & A. H. Nor Aziati & N. L. Zohadi, 2020. "The mediating effect of enterprise risk management implementation on operational excellence in the Malaysian oil and gas sector: a conceptual framework," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 1-6, December.
    5. Alison Furber & Sarah Duncan & Simon David Smith & Martin Crapper, 2012. "The health and safety implications of socio-cultural context for community construction projects in developing countries," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(10), pages 857-867, October.
    6. Mustapha Zakari & Kurbom Tieru Chris & Boahene Akomah Benjamin & Yankah Jonas Ekow, 2024. "Limitations for the Implementation of Artificial Intelligence in Construction Health and Safety in Ghana," Baltic Journal of Real Estate Economics and Construction Management, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 103-118.
    7. K.A. D. Olivia & Perera, D., 2024. "Exploring the HRM Determinants Influencing Construction Project Success: A Qualitative Study," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 1909-1925, August.
    8. Obi Berko Obeng Damoah & Augustine Awuah Peprah, 2021. "Synthesis of small and medium enterprise research in Ghana," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 11(1), pages 451-468, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lone Riisgaard & Nina Torm & Godbertha Kinyondo & Winnie Mitullah & Anne Kamau & Aloyce Gervas & Raphael Indimuli, 2024. "Challenging the formality bias: The organization of informal work, working relations, and collective agency in Kenya and Tanzania," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 42(1), January.
    2. Jill Wells, 2007. "Informality in the construction sector in developing countries," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 87-93.
    3. Titus Kivaa Mbiti & Nick Blismas & Ron Wakefield & Ric Lombardo, 2011. "System archetypes underlying the problematic behaviour of construction activity in Kenya," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 3-13.
    4. Samwel Alananga Sanga & Justine Mselle, 2018. "Informal Construction Practices as Knowledge Incubators: A Conceptual Framework," Business and Economic Research, Macrothink Institute, vol. 8(1), pages 13-37, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:26:y:2008:i:11:p:1159-1169. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RCME20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.