Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management, 2023, 13(1), 30-36
Impact of Work Pressure on Construction Safety
Professor and Head, Department of Built Environment, Central University of Technology, Free State, Private Bag X20539, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa, Email: femuze@cut.ac.za
Project Management
Received March 8, 2022; revised June 14, 2022; September 30, 2022; accepted October 5, 2022
Available online November 21, 2022
Abstract: Uncontrolled increase in construction activities heightens work pressure, making a work site less safe due to deviations from safety working procedures. The unabated reporting of accidents in construction necessitates a study into work pressure and the threat to safe working procedures in construction. Thus, this study investigated how work pressure drives a decline in adherence to safe working procedures on-site, making it less safe. The data were collected from a closed-ended survey of construction professionals in a South African province. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the collected data descriptively. The findings showed that work pressure from supervisors could lead to a decline in adherence to safe working procedures. If work pressure is unchecked, the outcome might result in safety violations on construction sites. The effects of work pressure on construction workers include problematic behaviour, stress, and fatigue. Other effects are interpersonal conflict, lack of concentration on work, and demotivation. This study was limited to examining how work pressure drives a decline in adherence to safe working procedures in construction. South Africa, as the site for data collection, is used for illustration purposes. In future studies, mixed-methods research in multiple contexts should be considered to produce insights transferable to other places. This article draws attention to practices that could make a construction site less safe through work pressures, especially in developing countries. It is argued conceptually that work pressure must be controlled to ensure that safe working procedures are not violated. Based on the findings, it was established that work pressure could accelerate a decline in adherence to safe working procedures, resulting in safety violations that create an environment in which accidents occur.
Keywords: Construction, safety violations, safe working procedures, work pressure.
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Citation: Emuze, F. (2023). Impact of Work Pressure on Construction Safety. Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management, 13(1), 30-36.
DOI:
10.32738/JEPPM-2023-0004
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