Innocent Musonda

Health and safety (H&S) awareness and implementation in Botswana's construction industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present findings of research on the level of health and safety (H&S) awareness and implementation in Botswanas construction industry.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted on construction projects to establish the level of awareness and implementation of construction H&S. Physical observations were also conducted on construction sites in order to relate questionnaire responses to what actually obtained on construction sites. The study was limited to Gaborone and the immediate surrounding areas.Findings – Findings from the research reveal that the level of H&S awareness is low, H&S legislation is not complied with, the management of contractors is not committed to H&S implementation, there is a lack of H&S management systems, procedures, and protocol, and clients and designers do not participate in the implementation of H&S.Originality/value – The importance of construction H&S has been recognised by various researchers. This paper prov...

Evaluating the Influence of Nutrition Determinants on Construction Workers' Food Choices.

Nutritional knowledge as well as economic, social, biological, and cultural factors have been known to determine an individual’s food choices. Despite the existence of research on the factors which influence nutrition globally, there is little known about the extent to which these factors influence the food choices of construction workers, which in turn influence their health and safety during construction activities. The present article investigates the extent to which construction workers’ nutrition is influenced by nutritional knowledge, as well as economic, environmental, social, psychological, and physiological factors. A field questionnaire survey was conducted on site construction workers in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Principal components analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that consumption of foods termed alternative foods including dairy products, eggs, nuts, fish, and cereals, was influenced by nutritional knowledge and resources. Foods termed traditional core foods were influenced by cultural background; foods termed secondary core foods comprising fruits and vegetables were influenced by economic factors, resources, and cultural background; while foods termed core foods were mostly influenced by nutritional knowledge. By providing evidence of the factors which most influence selection and consumption of certain foods by construction workers, relevant nutrition interventions will be designed and implemented, taking cognizance of these factors.

Validity and reliability of a questionnaire developed to explore nutrition determinants among construction workers in Gauteng, South Africa

Objectives: The nutrition of construction workers is related to their health and safety (H&S) at work. Research on the factors influencing construction workers’ food choices and overall nutrition is limited, in South Africa and indeed Africa as a whole. The present paper aims to develop and validate a questionnaire on factors influencing construction workers’ food choices. Design: The study adopted a quantitative approach; 42 items, divided into six constructs, were used to develop a field-survey questionnaire after a detailed literature review. Setting: The study was conducted on eight construction sites (consisting of five building construction and three road construction sites), chosen through heterogeneity sampling, in Midrand, Centurion, Johannesburg and Samrand. Subjects: Participants included construction workers actively involved in site activities. Outcome measures: Principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to examine the structures and validity of the constructs. Cronbach’s alpha test and mean inter-item correlations were used to examine internal consistency reliability. Results: After repeated factor analysis, the questionnaire on food-choice factors revealed seven different factors: food context, biological factors, nutritional knowledge, personal ideas and systems, economic factors, resources and cultural background. These factors explained 60.09% variance. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.62 to 0.85, signifying good internal consistency reliability. Conclusion: The determinants of construction workers’ food choices are vital considerations when designing and implementing nutrition interventions in the South African construction industry. Future research can adopt the instrument and developed model when conducting psychometric evaluations of construction workers’ food-choice determinants.

Health and safety implementation motivators in the South African construction industry

Abstract The increased emphasis on health and safety (H&S) in the construction industry in recent years necessitates continuous research on strategies to improve H&S performance in the sector. However, the motives behind the implementation of H&S practices in the construction industry has been explored to a limited extent. The aim of the current study is to classify the drivers behind H&S implementation in the South African construction industry. A field survey was undertaken. Participants, selected through judgemental and snowball sampling techniques, included site engineers, site agents, contracts managers, construction managers and project managers. Mean item score and standard deviation were determined using EXCEL. The need to manage hazards; organisations regard H&S as important; and compliance with the legislation emerged as the most important drivers. The study provides evidence for construction organisations to develop effective strategies to mitigate the occurrence of fatalities and deaths in the construction industry. More robust data analysis techniques could be employed in further studies.

Performance evaluation of contractor development programmes in South Africa

The performance of the construction industry in South Africa is supported by its industry players, such as the construction contractors, and cannot be underestimated. The designed Contractor Development Programmes (CDPs) in South Africa are aimed at creating an enabling environment for the survival and sustainability of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) contractors. Despite the prime aim of the CDPs in facilitating sustainable growths among SMMEs, the CDPs, however, have not been adequately evaluated by their beneficiaries, according to existing literature. Therefore, the need for a study to investigate the impact of the CDPs on beneficiaries is prudent and formed the rational for this study. The aim of this study was to carry out performance evaluation from the perspective of the CDP beneficiaries. Questionnaire survey and structured interviews were adopted using construction SMMEs as the study population who were selected via the purposive sampling technique. This method was appropriate because it gave respondents the opportunity to express their views on the impact of the CDPs. The study found that beneficiaries were comparatively satisfied with the CDPs but requested that they should be given a face-lift to upgrade them and make them more sustainable. The study also established that there are gaps in the CDPs that the implementing agencies should cover to ensure the successful implementation of the CDPs. Further, the study concluded that continuous mentorship programmes for contractors is an apparent solution where performance of CDPs is inadequate, but that this vital component of training is lacking in most South African CDPs.