Assessment of employee safety in construction sector: in the case of addis ababa housing project

Abstract

The nature of the construction sector is a highly risk area for the workers with frequent accident rates and ill-health problems. This is because the industry has a poor safety performance record compared to other industries all over the world. This study therefore, aims to assess safety management practice in housing construction projects in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In pursuing this objective, a descriptive case study research design was used. For this study the researcher selected 2 sites out of 7 which were under construction and 42 contractors at a place called “Koye Feche”. To gather information the researcher used both primary and secondary data. The researcher classified the main causes of accident in to three; management (contractor and consultant) related, government related and workers related. And also the researcher tried to identify the frequent accident type. As per the information gathered in the research process, the result showed that management related factors for the cause of accident was immense. Failure of the government to enforce the laws had contributed a lot for the causes of the accident. In addition, workers lack of awareness about safety was noticed in the research as a factor for the cause of accident. At the end, the researcher recommended that the government should play a vital role by enforcing the law to make sure that the contractors are adhering to the safety rules and regulation; and the contractor also should give due consideration on safety first. All stake holders should work harmoniously to minimize the current accident rate and create awareness on safety issues.