Relationship between Safety Culture and Accident Occurrence in Construction Sites in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

The Construction industry has been labeled as one of the riskiest industries globally owing to the high number of workplace related injuries. The scenario in Kenya and Nakuru County in particular is not different owing to the increased number of construction developments going on. Attempts to tame this situation in Kenya led to the development of legislations such the Occupation Safety and Health Act 2007 and the National Construction Act, 2011. However, despite the enforcement of safety laws, the fines and penalties associated with non compliance, the compliance level remains very low in Nakuru County. This raises questions on the efficacy of safety regulations in ensuring safety in construction sites. This study sought to establish the corporate safety culture in the construction industry and its relationship with safety in sites based on the number of accidents reported. Safety culture was assessed based on the safety climate based on the framework by (Cooper, 2000). The study was quantitative in nature and used descriptive research design. It was carried out in Nakuru County in 763 construction sites. The study sample constituted 89 persons in charge of safety in construction. The study relied on both primary and secondary data Quantitative data was summarized using descriptive statistics which included mean, mode, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between safety culture and accident occurrence. The study found that, there were no dedicated safety officers in construction sites. Therefore safety was a secondary activity in construction. Although a few contractors had safety policies, safety budgets and incorporated safety in building designs, the communication channels between safety workers and managers were poor. The corporate safety culture played a significant role on the number on incidences reported in construction sites.