Assesment of implementation of occupational health and safety management in the construction industry a case of Kericho County, Kenya.

Abstract

The construction industry sector in Kenya, as in other countries, cannot be tackled effectively without harnessing Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) to safeguard the safety of the workers and the entire community. The purpose of the study was to focus on assessment of the extent of implementation of OHS management in the construction industry in Kenya, the case of Kericho County, The study was guided by the following research objectives: to find out the level of awareness on the implementation of occupational health and safety, to examine the effect of implementation policy of occupational health and safety, to find out the impact of safety training on implementation of occupational health and safety , and to establish the level of commitment of employees towards implementation of occupational health and safety. The study was based on Heinrich domino theory and Psychological Risk Approach. The study adopted quantitative research approach by adopting a descriptive survey research design. The target population was 5160 employees drawn from Kipkelion East, Kipkelion West, Belgut. Ainamoi, Bureti and Soin-Sigowet in Kericho County. Cluster random sampling technique was used. Data was collected by using a self-administered closed ended type of questionnaires from the respondents. Data was analyzed by use of both inferential statistics, while descriptive statistics in terms of mean and frequencies was used. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. The findings, for Level of awareness was showed a positive effect on implementation of OHS. This indicated that an increase in level of awareness of players in the construction industry capabilities made the implementation of OHS to increase. The implementation policies of OHS revealed showed that that there was compulsory use of personal protective equipment and that working environment was always cleared and kept free from all injuries. The findings on the safety training and induction revealed that the construction industry seriously should indulge in effective safety trainings so that workers can be enlightened on safety measures hence promoting accident free environment. The commitments of management remain fundamental in the implementation of OHS in the construction industry. This indicated the direction of relationship between independent (factors influencing implementation of OHS) and dependent (OHS) variables. The study therefore concluded that all the factors under study significantly affected the implementation of OHS in the construction industry. The study recommends strict adherence to the OHS regulations in order to promote safety in the construction sites