STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE THE CAUSES OF CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS IN THE TAMALE METROPOLIS: PERSPECTIVES OF SITE MANAGERS

ABSTRACT The Construction industry plays a major role in any economy and its activities are also vital to the achievement of the socio-economic development goals of providing shelter, infrastructure and employment. However, the construction industry is also recognized as an accident prone industry in Ghana. The ever-increasing cost of medical treatment, tends have a negative impact on a company's profit. The aim of the study was to examine strategies for mitigating the causes of work-related accidents on construction sites in Tamale Metropolis. The specific objectives of the study included; to identify the causes of work-related accidents on construction sites in Tamale Metropolis, to identify effective strategies for preventing or minimizing occurrence of accidents on construction sites in the Tamale Metropolis and to make recommendations for minimizing the occurrence of accidents on construction sites in the Tamale Metropolis. Using purposive sampling technique, survey questionnaires were administered to a sample of one hundred and twenty-eight (128) site managers and a response rate of 48% was achieved. The findings indicated that more than half of the respondents are of the view that workers negligence, equipment without safety devices, negative attitude of workers, improper supervision and management attitude are the major causes of accidents on construction sites. The findings also indicated that the effective strategies for mitigating the causes of construction site accidents included; knowledge on the rights on health issues as a workers, training on health and safety issues, first aid promptly administered, proper understanding of warning signs at the workplace and conducting periodic safety seminars and safety campaigns. Based on the findings, the study recommends that management of construction firms should be more committed towards ensuring safety on construction sites and safety campaigns, incentives and education need to be vigorously pursued by management.