CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Chapter one examines the background of the study, statement of the problem, research

objectives, research questions, significance of the study, assumptions, delimitations of the study,

limitations of the study, definition of terms and summary of the chapter.

1.2 Background of the Study

Safety, health and environment are concern with protecting the welfare of the workers in their

respective work place. Safety is very vital in construction industry because it is a high hazard

industry that consists of residential construction, alteration, repairing, bridge erection, roadway

paving, excavation, demolition, waterproofing, large scale painting commissioning,

decommissioning, dismantling, and fitting out. The main force behind any construction site is the

man power. Without safety, the risks and hazards at a very dangerous place like this can get

people injured, hurt or even killed. This can cause any construction site delays, extra

expenditures and of course loss of man power. Health and safety is a very important role in a job

as it is very important that they keep to regulations so the business doesn't get closed down. Also

health and safety protects the employees and the employers and tries to keep everyone safe.

Health and safety is one of the tools that they have in making sure that a company achieves

success
Contributions of the construction industry are significant in terms of level of economic output

and employment in many countries, especially in developing countries. Accordingly,

construction activity is one of the yardsticks measuring the level of economic development of a

country (Al Haadir and Panuwatwanich 2016). However, construction sector is one of the most

dangerous industries globally, in which fatalities and injuries bring significant losses to societies

(Hamalainen, Takala, and Saarela 2017; Fang and Wu 2013; Fang, Wu, and Wu 2015). Sawacha,

Naoum, and Fong (2019) assert the risk of fatality in the construction industry is five times more

likely than in the manufacturing industry, while the probability of a major injury is two and a

half times higher. In similar vein, Jannadi and Bu-Khamsin (2018) note the construction industry

is one of the most hazardous industries compared to other industries. According to the Bureau of

Labor Statistics (BLS) of U.S., the construction industry is a high-risk sector in terms of the high

frequency of work-related fatalities and serious injuries. Fatality rates in the construction

industry remain highest among all other industry sectors in most regions, including Australia,

Europe, and North America (McCabe et al. 2017)

Accidents always entail cost and scheduling issues because work must be suspended for

investigating accidents or due to penalties from government authorities. Work suspension causes

interruption of work progress and scheduling compression requiring additional resources input.

The above implies total construction cost is increased or contractor’s profit margins can be

significantly reduced depending on the level of accidents. Hill (2018) measures the impact of

construction injuries on worker’s compensation, liability costs, businesses, society, and workers.

According to Hill’s findings, worker’s compensation costs negatively impact on project

profitability and the impact is significant. The National Safety Council (Liang 2019) of the U.S.

concluded the cost of accidents is not visible, causing project budgets to increase. Estimated total
cost of non-fatal injuries in the U.S. ranges from 131.2 USD to 145 USD billion per year (Hill

2017). Along with the cost issue, workers’ productivity is affected by accidents; frequently, crew

teams must be reorganized to supplement worker (s).

Poor safety performance of the construction industry has raised diverse safety-related concerns at

the international level (Haslam et al. 2015). Despite efforts to improve construction safety

performance during past decades, accidents, fatalities and injuries are daily occurrences at

construction sites (Hinze, Hallowell, and Baud 2018). Safety-related practices must be measured

during the construction phase to trigger positive responses before injuries and accidents

(Hallowell et al. 2018). In addition, safety-related practices and safety programs should always

be defined by considering every investigation of accident, health hazard identification, and

exposure of site or off-site safety factors (Hill 2018).

At its roots, architecture exists to create the physical environment in which people live, but

architecture is more than just the built environment, it’s also a part of our culture. It stands as a

representation of how we see ourselves, as well as how we see the world. While the concept of

shelter is a fairly simple thing, the style of buildings was originally shaped by the climate of a

particular location, what materials were readily available, as well as the values of the society

building them. As the world became more and more connected, the styles evolved, but even in

modern construction, there is still an importance in honoring the cultural nuances in the built

environment.

The construction industry inherently has many different problems and requirements (Hill,2018).

The importance of taking measures to improve the performance of the construction industry at

various levels of socioeconomic development has been recognized in many countries. While the
construction industry everywhere faces problems and challenges, the complexities and

difficulties are most critical in developing countries due to the general situation of

socioeconomic issues, lack of resources, organizational weaknesses, and an inability to deal with

critical situations. According to the Singapore Department of Building (Demirkesen,2015), there

is evidence that the problem has become greater in extent and severity in recent years.

In Malaysia for instance, building construction accounts for about 67.6% of overall construction

work and is considered to be an essential element of the industry (Castello and Osborne,2015).

Due to existing limitations such as unavailability or lack of technical and/or financial resources,

Malaysia faces some challenges in local projects. Moreover, external factors, for example,

prohibition to engage in commercial activities, political pressure to suddenly increase the volume

of mass projects, and complex or difficult land conditions, may also complicate the problem

(Choudhry and Zahoor,2016).Generally, there are some important elements for the successful

management of a construction project such as project management philosophies, processes,

methods, and tools; however, one important factor in this field is the capability of the project

manager (PM).

Finding the right architect for a construction project is the most important commercial

implementation task. Selecting a capable architect is an essential element to achieve success in a

construction project. However, architects have a variety of personal characteristics based on their

beliefs, experience, personal values, professional ethics, technical knowledge, superior social

skills, and their management abilities (Briggs and Maccullum,2003). In this regard, initial studies

on architecture challenges were published during the 1960s . According to Tan (2019), most PMs

come from a wide range of professional disciplines in developing countries. Consequently, not

one person from a single profession can claim to be a perfect architect. In some countries, there
are no guidelines or standards that provide for a better selection of architects to ensure excellent

performance in the construction industry. However, certain organizations such as the Project

Management Institute (PMI) have submitted their Strategic Overview of Project Management

practices to the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and recommended general

directions to improve the service for the benefits of the governmental sector (Hill,2018).

Project management is the direction and supervision of a project by the use of specific tools and

control techniques including cost control, manpower, time, plant/machineries, communication,

and motivation. According to Wideman (2019), project management is the art of directing and

coordinating human and material resources to achieve stated objectives within limits of time,

budget, and stakeholders’ satisfaction. architects have total responsibility in construction sectors

such as planning, organizing, and controlling. They are responsible for making sure that the

planning phase of a project contains complete task definition, resources, time schedule, and a list

of requirements. Furthermore, they organize the project to make sure of hiring competent staff in

order to produce necessary services and to achieve project objectives.

Many studies have mentioned the critical prerequisite skills for an architect (Bayafa, Mahdya and

Marson ,2018). In this regard, Ahadzie (2016) had investigated the relationship between

achieving project success and construction project management competencies. Successful

construction organizations now focus on ensuring that PMs obtain the principal competencies

that they require to be successful in their jobs. According to Frank (2019), the architect has direct

authority over 34–47% of a project’s success. Accordingly, it is clear that a architect plays a key

role in achieving success for a construction project. The relationship between client, developer,

and/or investor and the rest of the project’s construction team is also significant.
Architects play significant roles in the process of a construction/rehabilitation project. A PM

with adequate experience, supported by a group of qualified professional and clerical staff, will

head the project and be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of project activities. An

architect and his team should have training in management aspects (Awolusi and marks,2017).

PMs should be approved and accepted by project stakeholders to have adequate experience for

heading the project implementation and be responsible for the supervision of specific

implementation activities. In maintenance/retrofit projects for instance, various proposals for

rehabilitation activities are presented to PMs in the form of project proposals. Accordingly, one

challenge facing project managers and decision makers is to select the most vulnerable structures

(Alruqu and Hallowell,2019). In this regard, the creation of alternatives for the renovation or

rehabilitation of every project is mainly incumbent on the PMs. Hegazy (2018) also mentioned

that it is the objective of PMs to optimize the allocation and leveling aspects of the project

resources.

While PMs play important roles in the construction industry from the design stage to

implementation and demolition, most employers and clients have paid little attention to the

performance of the architects in construction projects. They would rather concentrate on the

performance of contractors. Recently, the construction industry has integrated the architect as a

manager with executive power on the site. The performance of the architect is therefore

important, because any decision made at the inception of the project will affect the project’s

success. In brief, although the construction industry faces many challenges such as delays, cost

overruns, fluctuation in the price of materials, and breaches of duty, all of these challenges are

directly related to the relationship between the ArPM and client.

1.3 Statement of the Problem
According to Zimbabwe National Statistics (ZNS), occupational accidents are increasing at a

high rate in Zimbabwe (ZNS, 2019). The NSSA reported that in 2019 occupational deaths

increased 49% and occupational injuries increased 36% from the previous year (NSSA, 2019).

The general business problem that I addressed in this study is accidents at work have resulted in

the loss of millions of dollars in revenue and productivity through absenteeism and injury. The

specific business problem that I addressed in this study is that some project managers in the

construction industry lack successful strategies for improving employee occupational safety and

health.

1.4 Research Objectives

The objectives of this study are

1. To assess the role of Architects as project managers in the construction industry

2. To examine the Safety, health and environmental challenges encountered by project

managers within the construction industry

3. To assess the overall health and safety in the Zimbabwean construction industry in awake

of the COVID 19 pandemic

4. To examine the financial and legal implications with construction accidents.

1.5 Research Questions

Research questions for the study are as follows:

1. What is the role of Architects as project managers in the construction industry?

2. What are the health and environmental challenges encountered by project managers

within the construction industry?

 3. What is the overall health and safety in the Zimbabwean construction industry in awake

of the COVID 19 pandemic?

4. What implications does accidents have on a firms financials and legal standing?

1.6 Research hypothesis

H0: There is no relationship between good project management and Safety

H1: There is a positive relationship between good project management and Safety.

1.7 Assumptions

Assumptions are unproven ideas accepted as true or as definite to happen (Lewis,2015).

Wolgemuth et al. (2017) also defined assumptions as suppositions held true but not proven. For

this study, I relied on NSSA for validity of the information.

 I assumed that the participants skilled and involved in strategic practices to improve

occupational safety and health. I also assumed the data given was correct and free of

errors, and that the participants were honest during the interviews.

 I assured confidentiality to the participants. Furthermore, I assumed permission to carry

the study would be granted by the respective organizations. Finally, I assumed all

participants spoke English and understood the interview questions

1.8 Justification of the Study

The importance of this research stems primarily from an underlying theme regarding health and

safety, to develop an understanding of its structure within a construction environment, and to

establish cause and effects and how architects contribute to safety in the Zimbabwean

Construction Industry.
1.9 Purpose of the study

The principle purpose of this research is to give a general overview of the current state of health

and safety in the construction industry, and to discuss the procurement, monitoring, cost

effectiveness and strategy. It will explore methods used by stakeholders in the construction

industry in terms of improving SHE, it will look into various aspects of these strategies, to

include those to improve OHS through procurement, the economic priority of these strategies

and the various responsibilities and duties of architects involved in the industry in terms of

designing and implementing strategies that improve OHS.

1.10 Significance of the Study

The principle aim of this research is to give a general overview of the current state of health and

safety in the construction industry, and to discuss the procurement, monitoring, cost

effectiveness and strategy. It will explore methods used by stakeholders in the construction

industry in terms of improving OHS, it will look into various aspects of these strategies, to

include those to improve OHS through procurement, the economic priority of these strategies

and the various responsibilities and duties of the stakeholders involved in the industry in terms of

designing and implementing strategies that improve OHS.

1.11 Delimitations

1.12 Limitations of the Study

1.12.1 Confidentiality, non-cooperation and Safety

Due to the Covid-19 and sensitivity of information some respondents may be loath to give such

information to an outsider. Nevertheless, the researcher will seek concert from the senior

management of the school and follow the covid 19 safety procedures and will convince the
respondents by ensuring them that the they are safe as well as the information to be used for

academic and confidentiality will be maintained.

1.12.2 Financial constraints

During the course of the study, the student will incur stationary cost, food and transport cost as

he will have to visit respondents while gathering data prior to the research study. As a result, the

student will face constraints financially as he is not yet able to fund the expenses that are likely

to be incurred. However, the research will seek financial assistance from well-wishers’ relatives

and friends for the success of the research.

1.12.3 Inadequate Facilities in the Library

As the research topic considers information of a recent nature as governed by its time frame, the

need for more recent and modern textbooks in the Library is inevitable. Consequently, lack of

modern texts in the library almost thwarted the effort of the as it acted as a crux of making this

research a benchmark. However, the researcher will resort to the e-learning facility which

granted permission to surf various Libraries.

1.12.4 Researcher’s lack of experience

The researcher’s knowledge, skills and experience in empirical study was limited and of novice

nature as this was a relatively new experience for the researcher. However, to the aid of the

researcher was the supervisor who provided much assistance in the technicalities, wording and

sequencing of this study among other things.

1.13 Definition of key terms

Health
Health is the process of protecting the minds and bodies of people against illness as a result of

the mishandling of materials, procedures and processes involved in the workplace (Akson and

Hadikusumo,2018).

Safety

Safety involves the process of protecting people against physical injury. Health and safety are

normally used together to show worry for the mental and physical health of the individuals at

work

Accident

The HSE (2019) asserts that an accident refers to any unforeseen event that injures people or

damages their health. It also refers to any damage or loss to property, materials, business

prospect or the environment (HSE, 2019

1.14 Structure of the study

Chapter 1 will present the background to the study, statement of the problem, the research

objectives and questions, the research assumptions, the significance and purpose of the study, the

limitations and delimitations of the study.

Chapter 2 will be a review of related literature

Chapter 3 will delineate the research design and related data-gathering instruments.

Chapter 4 will be data presentation and data analysis.

Chapter 5 will summarize the entire study with the view to drawing some substantive

conclusions out of which the study will proffer some recommendations.

1.15 Chapter summary
This chapter covered the background of the problem, statement of the problem, objectives of the

research, research questions, assumptions, and importance of the study, delimitations and

limitations and definition of terms. The following chapter gives a literature review of corporate

social responsibility services thus authenticating the need for best practices.