Awareness and Practices on Occupational Safety among Building Construction Workers in Pokhara Metropolitan

Abstract

Introduction: The risk of occupational injury and accident is more prominent in the construction industry than in other sectors. These accidents and injuries are the results of a low level of awareness and limited practice of safety measures. So, the main aim of this study was to assess the awareness and practices on occupational safety among the building construction workers.
 Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 384 building construction workers of Pokhara Metropolitan. Multi-stage sampling technique was used. Face-to-face interview and interview schedule was the data collection technique and tool. The questionnaire was pre-tested among (10%) of the total sample. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee of Pokhara University.
 Results: This study showed that most of the workers (94.8%) were aware of the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The majority of the workers (63.8%) had poor levels of practice of PPE. The practice of PPE was significantly associated with the marital status, work experience, work hours, First aid kit facilities, Insurance services, awareness of the use of PPE, PPE availability, awareness about the occupational health problems, and workplace safety training.
 Conclusion: Most of the workers were aware of the use of safety measures but the practice of safety measures was poor. Marital status, awareness of safety measures, and so on were found to be significantly associated with the practice of PPE. Construction companies should implement the compulsory use of PPE to prevent accidents and injuries at construction sites.

Evaluation of Health and Safety Status of Public and Private Building Construction Projects in Pokhara

“…Given the high injury risk in construction, occupational safety becomes crucial for production efficiency, as injured workers lead to lost workdays and increased financial costs, impacting the industry's social and economic efficiency [8]. The construction sector exhibits a higher risk of occupational injury and accidents, primarily due to low awareness and limited safety practices [9]. While developed nations have made progress in worker safety, developing countries lag.…”