An exploratory study into promoting construction health and safety in Ghana through public works procurement

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Donkoh, D., Adiyrah, E. and Aboagye-Nimo, E. ORCID: 0000-0002-7651-744X, 2015. An exploratory study into promoting construction health and safety in Ghana through public works procurement. In: M. Behm and C. McAleenan, eds., Proceedings of CIB W099 International Health and Safety Conference: Benefitting Workers and Society through Inherently Safe(r) Construction, Ulster University, Belfast, 9-11 September 2015. Downpatrick: EEI Publishing, pp. 289-297. ISBN 9781909854017

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Abstract

The construction industry is commonly associated with high or increasing levels of work-related hazards with ensuing injuries and fatalities. Studies have shown that procurement can further promote good construction H&S practice as it occurs throughout the life cycle of a project. However, the use of procurement as an instrument to promote H&S practices in construction has received little attention till date especially in developing countries. For this reason, the research aimed to explore practical measures to improve construction H&S through public works procurement in Ghana. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Seven respondents (procurement managers, consultants and Quantity surveyors), selected through a non-probabilistic purpose sampling from public institutions participated in the survey. In Ghana, the Public Procurement Act, Act 663 which was introduced in 2003 to ensure sanity and value for money in public procurement provides guidelines for the procurement of public works. In view of this, a case study of the H&S management of project procured using the Act 663 was also carried out. This was done to ascertain how public works is carried out in the Ghanaian public sector setting by determining the various stakeholders involved, the processes the project underwent and the various considerations looked at especially under H&S. The results however indicated that the Act 663 has no clause that addresses construction H&S. The paper also finds that, H&S does not form part of the criteria for evaluating tenders. To address the constraints so as to improve upon construction H&S, certain recommendations are offered. These include the inclusion of non- ambiguous H&S requirements as criteria for evaluating tenders and the pricing of H&S items in bills of quantities. Additionally, practical measures to improving construction H&S in Ghana at the key stages of works procurement are also provided. It also includes the specific roles and involvements of other stakeholders in the procurement process.

Item Type:	Chapter in book
Creators:	Donkoh, D., Adiyrah, E. and Aboagye-Nimo, E.
Publisher:	EEI Publishing
Place of Publication:	Downpatrick
Date:	September 2015
ISBN:	9781909854017
Rights:	All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	17 Oct 2018 11:30
Last Modified:	17 Oct 2018 11:30
Related URLs:	Organisation
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/34687