Chapter One:Introduction

Background
The construction industry plays a great role on the national scene. Not only does it touchthe lives of
virtually everyone on a daily basis, it also occupies a fundamental position.in the national economy.
It is one of the sectors that provides crucial ingredients fordevelopment of an economy. One cannot
think of widespread investment inmanufacturing, agriculture, or service sectors unless the
construction results ofInfrastructure facilities are in place. Thus, periods of national prosperity are
usuallyassociated with high levels of construction activity. One is the natural result of theother
[Clough and G.A. Sears, 1979]. According to Seifedin (2014), the safety of a construction project is
one of the essential components in the process of construction when it can be preferred as a
mitigation measurement before an incidence occurs. However, all over Ethiopia, millions of daily
laborers work in big construction projects in unsafe working environments and without supportive
and protective equipment. At the same time,Insufficient safety protocols at building sites provide a
significant risk of death or serious injury to workers in Debre Birhan. Using wooden scaffolds and
ladders and without safety gear, they perform construction work on tall buildings. Roadways and
structures are the focus of the city's major projects. States' and federal governments' laws have
limited applicability. This study attempts to assess health and safety management practices at
construction sites in Debre Birhan City.

.Statement of the problem

There are more and more buildings being constructed in our country every day. People and
machines perform the majority of tasks. Problems are bound to arise if building companies fail to
properly manage the structure once it is constructed.
Debre Berhancity projects are increasingly being built, and events are happening more frequently.
Construction site health and safety are seen as critical issues. But construction projects raise a lot of
safety concerns. putting inexperienced and unqualified workers in charge without proper
training.Employees not using belts. removing their safety shoes.Don't wear gloves, helmets, or
reflective clothes. construction sites lacking proper health and safety equipment. Lackof attention to
safety issues(negligence).If proper safety measures are not followed, mishaps, falls, injuries, and
even fatalities could happen. Worker health issues can be attributed to these factors. This paper
major goal is to offer a solution to the health and safety issues in the construction site in debre
birhan.

Objective

General objectives

The general objective of this study is to Assessment of health and safety management practices at
construction sites in Debre Berhan city.

Specific objectives

- - To identify the primary elements affecting the Health Safety

Management Practice in building construction projects Construction site in
Debre Birhan.

- To identify the construction phase which needs more health safety

management practice at Construction site in Debre birhan city, Ethiopia.
- To recommend appropriate measures to improve safety and health
practice among construction site workers.
ResearchQuestions

-What are the main factors influencing Debre Birhan City construction
workers' adherence to health and safety management practices in building
construction projects?

-Which construction phase needs more health safety management practice

among Construction Workers in Debre Birhan?

- Which applicable techniques are used to raise construction site workers'

performance in terms of safety and health?

Significance of the study

The research aims to enhance understanding of health and safety concerns in construction
companies like Debre Birhan and contribute to existing knowledge.
It also highlights the potential benefits of addressing health and safety issues, such as cost savings
and improved project lifecycles.
It also encourages workers to be aware of potential hazards and adhere to safety protocols.

Scope
The study will focus on Assessment of health and safety in building construction sites of Debre
Birhan city both in public and private buildings.
CHAPTERTWO: LITRATURE REVIEW
2.1 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

HEALTHHealth is the general condition of a person in mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be
free from illness, injury or pain. According to merriam-webster (https://www.merriam
webster.com/dictionary/health 2:32) dictionary the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit or
a condition in which someone or something is thriving or doing well.

SAFETY Safety is related to external threats, and the perception of being sheltered from threats.
According to the business Dictionary (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/safety), safety is
defined as a relative freedom from danger, risk, or threat of harm, injury, or loss of personnel and/or
property, whether caused deliberately or by accident.

WORKERAccording to oxford dictionary (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/worker

2:23pm)worker is a person who does a specified type of work or who works in a specified way. In this
study worker a person who involved in a work public project construction.

CONSTRUCTIONAccording to UN (1996) International Standards Industrial Classification (ISIC),

Rev. 3, construction is defined generally as an economic activity directed to the creation, renovation,
repair or extension of fixed assets in the form of buildings, land improvements of an engineering
nature, and other such engineering constructions as roads, bridges, dams, etc. The industry consists of
a group of establishments engaged in one or more of the following activities: Site preparation;
Building of complete constructions or parts thereof, civil engineering; Building installation, Building
completion and Renting of construction or Demolition equipment with operators. The industry
includes all activities of construction irrespective of whether they are carried out by private or public
construction firms, whether done on a contractual basis or of own account.n the case of Ethiopia,
although the definition adopted by the National Accounts department of MOFED is the same as that of
ISIC, the activities actually covered under the industry are the construction and maintenance activities
of: (1) Residential buildings in urban and rural areas, (2) Nonresidential buildings, i.e. factory
buildings, ware houses, office buildings, garages, hotels, schools, hospitals, clinics, etc., (3) Other
construction works, like roads, dams, dikes, athletic fields, electricity transmission lines, telephone &
telegraph lines, etc. (MOFED, 2005).

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
The construction industry is a sector of the economy that transforms various resources into
constructed physical economic and social infrastructure necessary for socio-economic development.
It embraces the process by which the said physical infrastructure are planned, designed, procured,
constructed or produced, altered, repaired, maintained, and demolished National Construction
Council (2004-2005).The construction industry is an economic investment and its relationship with
economic development is well posited. Many studies have highlighted the significant contribution of
the construction industry to national economic development (Myers 2013). According to Olanrewaju
and Abdul-Aziz, (2015) although, some argue that the extent of its contribution is not always clear.
Others have argued that the construction industry can be used to regulate the economy, while
others tend to differ (Olanrewaju, and Abdulaziz, 2015). Some have argued that the contribution is
limited to the short term. There are also those who argue that it is economic growth that drives the
construction industry rather than the industry advancing the economy, i.e. that the construction
industry is not a driver of economic prosperity rather it only follows the “path” defined by the total
economic growth rate (Olanrewaju, and Abdulaziz, 2015).Among the major economic sectors, the
importance of the construction industry is unique regardless of whether the country is
underdeveloped, developing or developed. For instance, the construction industry is subjected to
quarterly and annual statements of national accounts. The construction industry appears more than
once in the national accounts: GDP, GNI and GFCF. The outputs are measured by gross output,
capital formation and added value. More than half of GFCF consists of construction outputs. The
homes, offices, roads, factories, andshopping malls are all part of the outputs of the construction
industry, among other capital or investment goods (Olanrewaju, and Abdulaziz, 2015).The industry
comprises of organizations and persons who include companies, firms and individuals working as
consultants, main contractors and sub-contractors, material and component producers, plant and
equipment suppliers, builders and merchants. The industry has a close relationship with clients and
financiers. The government is involved in the industry as purchaser (client), financier, regulator and
operator (National Construction Council, 2004-2005).

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN ETHIOPIA

The construction industry in Ethiopia has been developing tremendously since 2001. Recent studies
by (Zewdu & Aregaw 2015 as cited in Journal of Architecture and Civil Engineering Volume 2)
indicated that the GDP contribution of the industry has been raised to 5.6% and approaches to the
sub Saharan average (6%). Meanwhile, the Gross Domestic CapitalFormation (GDCF), which was
about 60 percent in 1996/97, has reached nearly 75% in 2002/03.According to Ayalew, et al (2016),
since then, the country has been implementing significant number of programs/projects, which
include the University Capacity Building Program (UCBP), the housing development program and the
road sector programs among others.

Construction Health and safety in Ethiopia.

The construction sector is a major contributor to the Ethiopian economy and
it‟s one of the fastest-growing sectors. Adane Mm, GelayeKa, BeyeraGk,
Sharma Hr, YalewWw (2013) said that developing countries like Ethiopia are
striving hard to improve their basic services by building schools, hospitals,
housing complexes, shops, offices, highways, power plants, industries,
bridges and other infrastructures. In any case, all
theseconstructionactivitiesare carried
outbyincompetentlaborstrengthsatcheaprate.
Wordrelatedwoundsandmischancesamong these laborersaretall due to
absence of education, destitution, need of wellbeing and security preparing
and dataonwellbeingrisksanddangersat the work put. Such workers are
known to face rapidly changing workplaces, a high degree of competition
and attacks of unemployment.

As the emerging sector of Ethiopian economy, the status of the construction

workers particularly theirsafety.condition
oughttobegivenaccentuationandthe securityoftheworking
environmentoughttobekeptup.Inshowdisdaintoward
ofthenoteworthyrateofincrease within theindustry over the past decades, as
it were fewponders have been conducted to investigate the occupational
 safety and health status of workers working in the construction industry.
(Hanna Mersha, SeidTikuMereta and LamessaDube, 2016).

Therefore, in developing countries the occupational health and safety hazards faced by
construction workers are greater than those in industrial countries. The impact is also
10 to 20 times higher in these counties, where the greatest concentration of the
world‟s workforce is located. (Dong, 2005).

unsafe working environments are the major cause of most workplace injuries,
individual related factors such as young age, lack of formal education, lack of
experience, job dissatisfaction, lack of physical exercise, extended working hours, night
work and non-use of personal protective equipment are important factor (Wong, 1994;
Huang And Chen, 2002; Chau Et Al., 2004; Bresciani Et Al., 2012, Dong Et Al., 2015).
About three-fifth of building personnel are not positive whether they have to put on
protecting tools on the building site. They felt that it is not convenient and tight when
wearing defensive tools at work (griffin and Neal, 2000).

Construction health and safety responsibilities

Construction health and safety should be of primary concern to employers,
employees,governments and project participants (Kheni, 2008). Thus, the main parties
responsible forconstruction health and safety are the client, main contractor, regulatory agencies
and employees.Health and safety duties of state and regulatory agencies: Government regulatory
agencies often.enactregulationsto help ensurethat a construction projectissafetobuild,safetouse,
andsafetomaintainanddeliversyougoodvalue,goodhealthandsafetyplanningalsohelpstoensure.thata
project is well managed and that unexpected costs and problems are minimized. Health andsafety
duties of employer: Clients have a big influence over how work is done, where potentialhealth
and safety risks are low, clients are required to do little. Where they are higher, clientsneed to do
more. Employers must assess the work being undertaken and the environment hisemployeeswill
operatein when determining theappropriatePPE to beworn.

Health and safety duties ofmaincontractor:MainContractorsmustcheckthatallsubcontractorsare

conforming by providing PPE for all their employees (those who are self-employed for
taxreasons, but who otherwise work in an employee employer relationship are also entitled
 toreceive PPE) free of charge. Health and safety duties of employees: Employees should be
madeaware of their responsibility to wear the PPE appropriately, take care of equipment and
reportany defects. They should also be informed that if they do not wear or misuse any PPE that
hasbeen appropriately issued that this could lead to disciplinary action. This equipment is
providedfortheirprotection.

Causes of accidents in construction.

The underlying causes of construction accidents can be categorized under societal
andindustrywide influences (macro); project process factors (mezzo)
andworker/supervisor/workplace causes (micro). The causes of construction accidents at the
macrolevel were identified to include immature corporate systems, inappropriate enforcement,
lack ofproperaccidentdata,lack ofleadershipfrom 'Government'asakeyclientand
alackofinfluenceof trades unions in practice on most sites, especially for smaller projects.
immature projectsystems and processes, inappropriate procurement and supply chain
arrangements, lack ofunderstanding and engagement by some of the design community, lack of
proper accidentinvestigation/dataand consequently, alack of organizational learning.Micro
factors included a shortage of competent supervisors; a lack of individual competency
andunderstandingofworkers andsupervisors;theineffectivenessorlackoftrainingandcertificationof
competence: a lack of ownership, engagement and empowerment of, communication with
andresponsibilityforworkers and supervisors.These factors were also exacerbated by poor
behavior, cost pressures; poor equipment or
misuseofequipment,includingpersonalprotectiveequipment:sitehazards;pooremploymentpractice
s,an itinerant workforce and inadequate management of and provision for vulnerable workers
suchasyounger, older ormigrant workers.

The study was based on an international consultation with 15 overseas construction

industryexpert stakeholders: phone/email interviews/consultation with 27 UK senior
constructionindustryexpertstakeholders;in-
depthfacetofaceinterviewswith15practitionersfromtheUKconstruction industry; and phone
interviews with 15 workers representing the UK's smallerorganizations/sole-traders(Braceet al.,
2009).

Health and safety problems on construction sites

There are health and safety problems on almost all construction sites which relate to reporting
accidents, employing and subcontracting. Employing: all personnel who are employed to carry out
construction work on site must be trained, competent and fit to do the job safely and without
putting their own or others’ health and safety at risk; properly supervised and given clear
instructions; have access to washing and toilet facilities; have the right tools, equipment, plant and
protective clothing; educated about health and safety issues with them (or their representatives);
have arrangements for employees’ health surveillance where required. Accidents: all accidents or
work-related illness should be reported to the appropriate authorities within a reasonable or
stipulated timeframe. Subcontracting: main contractors should ensure that they check the health
and safety performance of the subcontractors they plan to use; give subcontractors the health and
safety information they need for the work; talk about the work with them before they start; make
sure that you have provided everything agreed (e.g. safe scaffolds, the right plant, access to welfare,
etc); and check their performance and remedy shortcomings. The study by Kheni (2008) on health
and safety practices among construction SMEs in Ghana revealed serious problems. The main
problems identified by Kheni included lack of skilled human resources, inadequate government
support for regulatory institutions and inefficiency in institutional frameworks responsible for health
and safety standards. Another problem highlighted was the significance of the Ghanaian socio-
cultural value systems particularly, the extended family system and traditional religious value
systems in health and safety management within Ghanaian construction SMEs. The research also
provided insights into difficulties posed by the internal environment of SMEsto the effective
management of health and safety.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289074881
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 [6].Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the
nation on any given day. The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national
average in this category for all industries. Potential hazards for workers in construction include:

• Scaffold collapse

• Falls (from heights)

• Trench collapse

• Electric shock and arc flash/arc blast

•Failure to use proper personal protective equipment

and, repetitive motion injuries [5].https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317644501 (IJSER ©

2016)

http://www.ijser.org

Construction health and safety rules in Ethiopia

The fundamental law of the state which is the Constitution of the Federal Democratic
Republicof Ethiopia, the Civil Code (Proclamation # 165/1960) together with the Labor
Code(Proclamation No 377/20003) are the general legal basis for health and safety rules in
Ethiopia,Numerousarticles/provisionsareprovidedunderthesegenerallaws
regardinghealthandsafety

ofpeople.LaborCodeensuresworker-employerrelationsandenables
workersandemployerstomaintainindustrial peace.

Itstrengthensanddefinesthepowersanddutiesoftheorganchargedwiththeresponsibilityofinspectin
g labor administration, particularly labor conditions. occupational safety, health
andenvironment.
 Thefollowingprovisions areset:Article92clearlyspells outthefundamental
obligationsofanemployer with regard to putting in place of all the necessary measures in order
to ensure,workplaces are safe, healthy and free of any danger to the well-being of workers. In
the samearticle the employer is obliged to take, in particular the following measures to
safeguard thehealthand safety of theworkers:

To comply with the occupational safety and health requirements provided for in
theproclamation; take appropriate steps to ensure that workers are properly instructed is
notifiedconcerning the hazards of their respective occupations and the pre cautions necessary
to avoidaccidentand injury to health.

Ensure that directive is given and also assign safety officer. establishes an occupational,
safetyand health committee, provides workers with protective equipment, clothing and other
materialsandinstructthemofitsuse, obligedtoregisterandnotify
tothenearestlaborinspectionservicesoccupational accident and diseases) arrange according to the
nature of the work at his/her ownexpense, for the medical examination of newly employed
workers, and for those workersengaged in hazardous work as may nearly, take appropriate pre-
executions to ensure that allprocesses of work shall not be a source or cause of physical,
chemical, biological, agronomicalandpsychological hazards to thehealthand safety of the
workers.

Article93providestheobligationsofworkerspertainingtotherequiredco-operationand puttinginto
practice of the regulation and instruction given by the employer in order to ensure safetyhealth
and working conditions at work places. The law has clearly stipulated about occupationalinjuries
with all other related provisions. Construction organizations should train and educate
allworkersto beawareof potential hazards and guidethem onhow to avoidpotential hazards.

ChapterThree:Methodology
Studyarea
Thelocationofthisstudy willbethecityofDebre Birhanconstructionbuildings.

Studydesign
A structured individual interview and a closed-ended questionnaire are used in this study.
Thisquestionnaireisformulatedthroughareviewandunderstandingofrelevantliteratureonhealthan
dsafety practicein construction.

Population
Thepopulationof thisstudywill includetheemployees, managers,supervisors
andworkersoftheconstructioncompanies'sitesandofficesatthe
DeberBirhanconstructionsiteproject.

Sample size and selection

Thoseparticipatingintheinterviewincludeengineers,contractorsandlaborsfromdifferentconstr
uction companies in Debre Birhan. The criteria to be selected will be the level of
thecompanyfrom the list ofconstruction companiesinDebreBirhan.

Data Collection process

There are two types of data used in this research primary and secondary data. The main
datacollection of this research will be questionnaire method. The secondary data is collected
fromengineering journal publications, websites, health and safety in construction site books.

Ethical Considerations
The scope of this study is construction site workers such as construction managers,
officeengineers, skilled and unskilled workers. After permission is obtained from the
University'sDepartmentConstruction
andTechnologyManagement,mostconstructioncompaniesacceptvisitsand healthandsafety
assessmentsof whatisbeingdone ontheir site during thework.
 WorkPlan

Table2:workplan

BudgetBreakdown

NoItemdescription Price(Br)

Stationary 1800

Transportcost 1300

Print, copy, 1500

bind,etc.

4600

Table3:BudgetBreakdown
 References

HSE(2009);Lingard andRowlinson(2005)

HealthandsafetyonconstructionsitesinGhana

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289074881

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317644501 (IJSER © 2016)

http://www.ijser.org

AuthorbySamuelLaryeaHealthand Safety Executive (HSE) (2009).

Kheni,N.A.

(2008)ImpactofHealthandSafetyManagementEthiopia-Civil

CodeProclamationNo. 165/1960.