A construction health and safety performance improvement model for South African small and medium enterprises

Considering its share in and impact on national economies, the construction industry receives additional attention in terms of its performance and productivity especially small and medium construction enterprises (SMEs). However, with the extensive amount of workforce it employs, health and safety (H&S) has become important. Since the industry has the reputation of poor H&S performance especially SMEs. It has been accepted that H&S management practices constitute a vehicle to improve H&S performance, which reflects the H&S culture of the organization. However, the challenge is to determine what needs to be measured and practiced by SMEs at project level. The main objective of this thesis was to develop a construction H&S performance improvement model at project level of SMEs. A triangulation approach was used to develop the model using Delphi method and questionnaire survey. The Delphi method straddles between quantitative and qualitative research. Thirty H&S experts were purposively sampled and 20 agreed to participate in the Delphi process. However, 16 H&S experts completed the four iterations. The experts reached consensus on 31 statements or leading indicator metrics categorized in seven H&S elements/constructs. The final refined H&S conceptual model consisted of one independent construct, four intervening constructs and one dependent construct. Furthermore, a quantitative survey with 1,450 conveniently sampled SMEs was conducted. A total of 228 questionnaires were returned of which 216 were deemed usable representing 15. 72% response rate. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 using Maximum Likelihood with Promax rotation was used to determine the validity and reliability of the six H&S constructs of the refined conceptual model. The six H&S construct and 40 statements were retained as valid and reliable measures of H&S for SMEs at project level. A further validity and reliability test was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Mplus version 6. 1, software program. The CFA revealed acceptable model fit of the measurement model after the re-specification of some of the measurement models. Finally the structural model was tested using Mplus version 6. 1 to determine the constructs relationship. The findings revealed that the structural model data was acceptable and of the 12 hypotheses tested, six were significant. However, four significant relationships influenced H&S performance. The influential relationships were; upper management commitment and involvement in H&S indirectly influenced H&S performance through project supervision and H&S resources and training. These three proactive H&S elements are posited to be essential to improve H&S performance at project level of SMEs. Furthermore, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) established no statistical significant difference on the respondents’ perception of H&S model elements. However, t–test revealed statistical significant difference on the respondents’ perception on H&S performance, upper management commitment and involvement in H&S and H&S resources and training. The respondents with post-matric qualification strongly agreed that the way they managed H&S at project level had improved their H&S performance. Furthermore, they strongly agreed that upper management are committed and involved in H&S and H&S resources and training were provided. Multiple linear regression analysis was further used to test the influence of demographic variables on the H&S model elements. The selected demographic variables were; experience in the construction industry, education level and the number of employees. The result indicated that the demographic variables were not good predicators of the H&S model elements. Finally, the use of self-reported questionnaire and majority of respondents conducting business in Gauteng province in South Africa were some of the limitations in this study.