ABSTRACT This research work is aimed at evaluating the attitude of construction companies within Lagos metropolis towards enforcing

and actually complying with the health and safety policy set for a standard construction site. In achieving these objectives, two sets of questionnaires were distributed among workers on site and management staff with personal interview conducted among them. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. From the analysis, the study revealed that provision of adequate safety measures for workers on site will improve the performance and also enhance the companys productivity. Dissemination of information on safety techniques will reduce accidents on site and increase the workers morale for better performance. Ineffectiveness of government policy on safety measures especially in construction works was found to have contributed to low productivity by workers on site since they do not have access to any claim even when accident occurred on site. The study therefore recommends that government should ascertain that safety policy (safety act) are duly followed and implemented and where workers on site sustain fatality due to safety negligence, stiff penalty should be charged against such construction firm. Construction companies should train and re-train their workers on safety techniques and these should be monitored from time to time. Recent information on safety measures should be disseminated to workers on site and enlightenment programmes should be organized for personal safety devices. As a way of encouragement, companies should give awards to good safety conscious workers. Adequate funds should be made available for safety programmes and should be monitored by the safety department of every organization.

CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY The construction industry can be viewed as one of the major industries and at the same time the most dangerous of occupations, whereby a lot of accidents are prone to happen which can lead to loss of lives or body parts. Due to these high occurrence of accident on site, it can affect the execution of the job, the reputation of the company executing the job, time and even money, hence the adherence of health and safety policies on construction sites is an important factor for any construction company that wants to continue to operate, considering the safety and welfare of their workers. Safe and healthy working conditions do not happen by chance. Employers need to have a written safety policy for their enterprise setting out the safety and health standards which it is their objective to achieve. The policy should name the senior executive who is responsible for seeing that the standards are achieved, and who has authority to allocate responsibilities to management and supervisors at all levels and to see they are carried out. The safety policy should deal with the following matters: Arrangements for training at all levels. Particular attention needs to be given to key workers such as scaffolders and crane operators whose mistakes can be especially dangerous to other workers;

 Safe methods or systems of work for hazardous operations: the workers carrying out these operations should be involved in their preparation; The duties and responsibilities of supervisors and key workers; Arrangements by which information on safety and health is to be made known; Arrangements for setting up safety committees; The selection and control of subcontractors. In the light of the above, it can be seen that strict adherence to the standard health and safety policy on site is required hence the study. 1.2 STATEMENT TO THE PROBLEM In the light of the rapid increase in construction jobs in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the local authority to actually check if these construction companies are actually adhering to the standard health and safety policy on site. . This problem is not restricted to Lagos state, in Nigeria as a whole, adherence of health and safety policies by construction companies are not given high priority, thus leading to the occurrence of a lot of site accidents. This problem may be attributed to the low tolerance of local authorities and even the construction companies to health and safety, lack of a health and safety document by the construction company, e.t.c. and thereby resulting in the occurrence of accidents which may otherwise have been avoided. It is no secret that a conducive and safety prone environment is inherent to the workers general output and hence it was on this premise that this research work was carried out
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1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The aim of this study is to state the health and safety standards and critically assess the compliance of health and safety requirements by construction companies on their sites in Lagos State and the benefits of such actions. In order to achieve the above aim, the following objectives have been set; 1. To examine Governments safety regulations on construction companies and their compliance for the benefit of their workers and the general public. 2. To investigate construction companies attitude towards adhering and complying with the health and safety standards on site. 3. To suggest efficient methods in improving the health and safety standards in the faulting construction companies.

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS The lack of governments enforcement of the health and safety standards affects the productivity of workers on site. The ignorance of the construction companies in complying with the set health and safety policy is inherent on the output of the workers. Insufficient dissemination of safety techniques to workers on site would increase the occurrence of accidents on site.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY A general observation of construction sites would reveal that there is a proliferation of non-compliance and insufficient adoption of set health and safety standards on site by construction companies. This study was undertaken in recognition for the need for increased attention for the strict compliance to the set health and safety standards on construction sites. This research will aid the bodies responsible for enforcing the compliance of these health and safety standards on construction sites in Lagos State, as well as other states in Nigeria to see the importance of enforcing these health and safety standards. Furthermore, this research will enlighten the construction companies as well as their workers on the benefits of complying with the health and safety standards and the consequences of not adhering to the health and safety standards set for a standard construction company. 1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY This study covers the compliance of health and safety requirements on selected construction sites in Lagos State. The study looks at whether the set health and safety standards are being adhered to on site by these companies, its reparcautions and benefits of actually complying with these standards. It also focuses on the quality standard provided on the selected sites in Lagos.

1.8 DEFINITION OF THE IMPORTANT TERMS