Evaluation of Safety Performance of Nigerian Construction Industry - A Case Study of the Niger Delta Region

The Construction industry contributes greatly to the socio economic development of any nation. Despite its importance, the Construction industry has been ranked as one of the most hazardous industries across the globe. This research evaluated the safety performance of Construction companies in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and the effect of management commitment to safety management implementation on safety performance. Qualitative and Quantitative research survey method was deployed. The study population comprises nine construction companies in the Niger Delta, selected through stratified sampling method. 190 respondents were purposively selected from the nine construction companies for questionnaire administration. The collected data was analyzed descriptively to determine the safety performance of the industry. Pearson Moment correlation statistics was used to establish the relationship between management commitment to safety management implementation and safety performance in the industry. Obtained results revealed a moderate level of safety performance at leading indicators with average mean of 3.23 ±1.22 in Construction industry in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and poor level of safety performance at lagging indicators with average mean of 3.42±1.26. Interestingly, a strong, positive correlation was identified between Management Commitment and Safety performance for leading indicators, which was statistically significant (r = .506, n = 190, p = .005). A strong negative correlation however was seen between Management Commitment and Safety Performance for lagging indicators, which was statistically significant (r = -.408, n = 190, p = .003). This implies that where top management is committed to implementation of occupational health and safety management in such organization, there would be better safety practices and reduced rate of accidents.