Construction work and the housekeeping challenge in Lesotho

Contemporary construction management literature has provided evidences of several advances in construction practice, especially in relation to site management. A key element of such advances is the provision of an environment in which construction work is completed without exposing people to any form of harm. Among other issues, the removal of physical hazards on construction sites is dependent on housekeeping, which is a source of genuine worry in the industry in Maseru, Lesotho. This paper reports the outcome of a research, which sought responses to "how can housekeeping be improved in Lesotho construction?" With a multiple case study research design in which field work entails direct site observations and interviews with site supervisors, the study established the poor state of housekeeping and their impact on people in the work environment in Lesotho. The use of the 5-Why root cause analysis shows that unsafe work practices go hand-in-hand with poor housekeeping on most visited project sites. Inadequate methods of keeping the construction site clean are exacerbated by poor storage and disposal of construction materials and wastes on the sites visited in the research.  The importance of housekeeping in a craft based industry, such as Lesotho, is hinged on the health, safety, and wellbeing of workers, apart from site productivity. Continued poor housekeeping on project sites in Lesotho negatively impacts on the industry. The evidence from the research shows that it is time for multi-stakeholder interventions that would eliminate poor housekeeping in the industry.