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TREFF ONE

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CHAPTER 1;

Introduction and Background

INTRODUCTION
Safety is a major issue for day labourers. Each year, accidents happen frequently in the
construction industry and often times it is due to the absence of personal protective
equipment or failure to wear the provided personal protective equipment. The purpose is to
reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not
effective to reduce these risks to acceptable level. These hazards risk can be anything from
noise, lights, and chemicals to falling objects. Personal Protective Equipment includes items
such as protective helmets, eye protection, high visibility clothing, safety footwear, safety
harness and sometimes, respiratory protective equipment. The dangers of having ineffective
Personal Protective Equipment or insufficient Personal Protective Equipment may lead to
occurrences of increased levels of injuries, accidents from which many employees will lose
their lives, have permanent damages, losing their jobs. Not only the employees will suffer,
the organisation too will lose its capable workforce, there will be high staff turnover,
increased insurances and compensation. Lastly the nation also will be affected negatively as
the government is the one paying for our medical bills, it will then have to spend much on
injured employees, and also the nation will be losing skilled labourers. Therefore it is of high
importance that every organisation train and educate its employees/ staff as well as
carrying out some research studies and other measures in order to scan the workplace
against potential hazards that calls for Personal Protective Equipment use.

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1.2 Background of the study
Stepmess proprietary limited construction company is one of the construction companies
found in Botswana, situated at Maun village, just about 50m from the Maun airport. This
construction company was established in 2013 by Stephen Ramakoba and Meshack B.
Obonye hence its name Stepmess, Step from Stephen and Mess from Meshack. Stepmess is
a Construction Company that is based in Maun and its main services is building and re-
building for Safaris i.e. restaurants, lodges, hostels, offices and hospitals. This construction
company is divided into two functional roles being plumbing and Building. Stepmess is divided into
two because the founders are of two different professions, Stephan is a plumber and Meshack is a
builder, therefore employees are also divided into two teams being the building and the plumbing
team & all together they form Stepmess. The company consist of seventy staff members. Its main
difference from other construction companies is that is based mostly on building for Safaris.
This construction company has workers which have to be protected against hazards and
risks, therefore I shall carry out a research assessing the role and importance of PPE in
Stepmess Proprietary Limited Construction Company. (Stepmess pty ltd).

1.3 Statement of problem


Majority of construction companies are faced with lack of knowledge amongst its
employees on the use of correct personal protective equipment, importance of using
personal protective equipment, and selecting the correct personal protective equipment.
Also employees have different attitudes towards personal protective equipment. All these
factors leaves the employees highly exposed to chances of being harmed or affected. There
are many bad consequences faced by companies like injuries or infections which could have
been avoided through the use of personal protective equipment, such as employee’s
turnover, absenteeism, compensation and lawsuits. Therefore the study will focus on

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assessing the roles and importance of personal protective at Stepmess proprietary limited
Construction Company as a way of locating the weakness and strength have and there after
come up with the possible solution s that will benefit the organisation and the employees as
well.
According to the personal protective equipment at work regulations (1992, 03/02/2009),
the employer shall ensure that the employee are provided with appropriate Personal
Protective Equipment.

1.4 Overall goal of the study


To make employees in construction companies to understand the importance of Personal
Protective Equipment and the role it plays in their lives.

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1.5 Scope/Delimitation of the study

The study shall cover Maun area and construction sites there at Maun, just to find out what
are the views of other construction companies pertaining personal protective equipment
.Lastly to study main area of concern which is stepmess (pty) ltd.

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1.6 Objective of the study
 Assess the knowledge of workers about personal protective equipment of Stepmess
workers.

 Determine the attitudes about personal protective equipment of stepmess workers.

 Explain the practices and importance of personal protective equipment by Stepmess


workers.

 Identify the hazards and risks that can be possessed by not wearing personal
protective equipment.

 Examine personal protective equipment used by workers.

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2.0 CHAPTER 2; LITERATURE REVIEW
Research carried out in the United Kingdom (Taylor 2011) found that some construction
sites, workers continue to cavalier attitudes towards protective clothing but even more
worryingly, that little was done in terms of training or education to rectify this situation;
some health and safety managers interviewed during the study admitted to a lack of
knowledge to about different specification and which clothing would be most suitable for
the workplace, while they also had concerns about how to deal with unknown or
unpredictable hazards , with such a lack of clarity, it should therefore come as no surprise to
discover that only just over half construction workers(56%) received and personal protective
equipment training at all. With nearly a third simply selecting the acknowledged their
performance issues with PPE were to do with comfort and performance. Three quarter said
that if work wear was more comfortable they would be more willing to wear it than is
currently the case.
2.1 Safety Acts, Standards and regulations
Staff training is an essential part of establishing and maintaining safe working conditions and
habits. All employees must, in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of
Republic of South Africa 1993(2009) be informed about hazards in their working
environment and the proper procedures the employer has adopted to eliminate and
minimise the risks. In addition, every individual employee ought to be aware of the broad

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range of hazards materials that may cause occupational diseases over a long period and
possible physical and psychological harm or injury (Hatting & Acutt, 2003;107)
The general PPE requirements mandate that employers should conduct a hazard assessment
of their workplace to determine what hazards, that require the use of PPE, are present. The
use of PE is often essential, but it is generally the last source of protection, when
engineering controls, work practices and administrative control are not effectively
mitigating a safe work environment. This concept is supported by the occupational safety
and health administration (OSHA) Fact Sheet (2009).
Personal Protective Equipment is designed to protect employees from serious workplace
injuries or illnesses that are resulting from chemical, radiological, physical, electrical,
mechanical or other work place hazards. Personal Protective Equipment includes a variety of
devices and garments such as face shields, safety glasses, hard hats, safety shoes, coveralls,
gloves, ear plugs and respirators (OSHA Fact Sheet; on-line).
The International Mine Action Standard (IMAS), (2009; on-line) indicated that it was the
responsibility of the employer and employee to ensure that Personal Protective Equipment
programme was effective. The employer should provide PPE for each activity undertaken
that meet, or exceed the minimum requirements. PPE should be provided to employees and
be appropriate to the risk, local operational procedure and environmental conditions. The
employees should use PPE in accordance with the requirement Specified by the employer
and manufacture (International Mine Action Standard (IMAS), (2009).
When the hazard could not be removed or controlled adequately, PPE ought to be used if
the work process was to continue. PPE was being used to reduce or minimise the exposure
or contacts to physical, chemical or biological agent (Canadian Centre for Occupational
Health and Safety Resource (CCOHSR), (2007, on-line)
Personal Protective Equipment is designed equipment to prevent occupational exposure to
hazards. The employees should have access to personal protective equipment at no cost;
including correct sizes and type that take allergic conditions into considerations. PPE can
only be an effective control strategy if appropriate and reliable equipment is provided and if
employees consistently use it (Rodgers, 2003; 453- It is expected of an employee to;

 Cooperate with the employer in the interest of health and safety


 Carry out any lawful order given to him; and
 Obey the safety rules developed by the employer or any other authority, in
accordance with the occupational health and safety Act and regulations. Every
employee is responsible for his own safety and the safety of anyone else who may
be affected by the work he does (Kotze, 2002; 382).

2.2 KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT


The primary aim of an occupational health and safety programme is the prevention of
accidents and illness, which employs knowledge as the principal tool. Only accurate
knowledge of the risk and adequate training in handling them can enable worker to adapt

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appropriate behaviour in a hazardous working environment. A successful accident
prevention programme depends on leadership by the employer and safe work habits and
practices by the employees (Hatting, 2003; 105).

 Knowledge of mineworkers about PPE


A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a coal and gold mine in South Africa to
assess workers knowledge about footwear and foot hygiene. Generally, the mineworkers
demonstrated good knowledge about the importance of protective footwear. However, the
associated complaints about being hot causing foot problems outweighed the benefits of
protective footwear for many. (Schutte, Dias, Chunderdoojh &Franz, 2005: on –line).

 Knowledge amongst industry workers about PPE


In 2008, a cross sectional analytic study to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and
practice of PPE use conducted amongst rattan craftsmen in Vietnam. Four hundred and
three participants consented and completed the research questionnaire. The results showed
that 78.2% had low knowledge about PPE, 18% had moderate knowledge while 3.7% had a
high knowledge. Four percent had negative attitudes towards PPE, 69% had neutral attitude
and 26.85% had negative attitude. The majority of participants indicated a fair level of
practice of PPE as opposed to a more than a good level of practice (Troung, Siriwong &
Robson, 2009).
Another study of the knowledge, attitude and practices about the use of PPE was carried
out amongst steel workers in India during 2002-2003. Seventy five to ninety seven percent
of the employees responded positively with regard to knowledge and attitude. About the
practice of using PPE, 80% responded positively. The positive response knowledge, attitude
and practice was an indication of the employee having the highest degree of awareness
about PPE (Ziadduin and Lakshma Rao, 2006).
In a study conducted at Al-Khobar to assess the knowledge and practice of workers in a
small industry with regard to preventative measures of occupational hazards, (Taha, 2000)
found that only 12% used protective clothing all the time and 60% did not use any PPE. The
study concluded that knowledge of workers about occupational hazards and the use of
preventive measures were indicated.

2.3 ATTITUDES TOWARDS PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT


The findings of the study of community footballers attitudes towards PPE in Australia,
conducted by Braham, Finch, Mc Intosh and Mc Croy (2004; on-line ,13/04/2011), revealed
that 73.6% reported wearing mouth guards during the previous playing sessions (2000) as
compared to only 2.1 who were wearing headgear. The common reasons supplied for not
wearing PPE were;

 It was uncomfortable; and


 They did not like it.

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The high use of mouth guards reflected a favourable attitude towards the use of PPE by the
players. The low use of headgear reflected a low acceptance of this form of protection in
spots.
Occupational Health and safety is neglected in Sub –Sahara Africa (Puplamu and Quartey,
2012) where Health and safety performance appears to be power in a comparison to
developed countries (International Labour Organisation (ILO), 2003). This view is partly
because of the lack of resources in developing countries that has constrained Health and
safety performance (Kheni et al, 2007) .In addition the inadequate legal and institutional
arrangements for management of Health and Safety have compounded the problem of
Health and Safety performance in developing countries (Kheni et al, 2007). Other
contributors to poor health and safety performance include a lack of effective mechanisms
to implement legislations (Alkiani et al, 2013), the lack of infrastructure equipment and
rampant corruption and lack of concerted effort by the policy makers to address health and
safety (Kheni et al, 2007). In addition the industry is also labour intensive and also utilises
people for physical conversion processes on site even for tasks that may be hazardous (ILO,
2005). The industry in developing countries is dominated by small and medium contractors
and most of these do not have effective systems to manage health and safety (Kheni et al,
2007).

2.4 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT


PPE refers to protective equipment, clothing, helmets, goggles or other garment or
equipment designed to protect construction workers body from injury by blunt impacts,
electrical hazards, heat, chemical hazards and infections. In South Africa, construction
regulations (2003) urge the use of PPE to reduce employee exposure to hazards were
administrative controls are not feasible or effective in these exposures to acceptable levels
(Republic of South Africa, 2003). To ensure a safe and effective use of PPE by employees, a
PPE program should be designed and implemented. The implementation will always elicit
reactions from worker who are directly involved in physical work on sites. The reaction of
workers to unsafe working conditions is however dependent on whether they identify the
conditions as “unsafe ‘or not. Horsseima and Torghbeh (2012) summarise the issue as;

 The worker does not identify the unsafe condition; therefore there is no risk hazard
consideration by the worker. Some unsafe conditions cannot be identified such as
not human related conditions or human factors violation may lead to injuries namely
cumulative trauma disorders, carpal syndrome, fatigue and overexertion.
 The worker identifies the unsafe condition and recognize the related hazards; the
reaction might be ‘safe act” meaning one would quit the task until the unsafe
conditions is modified or one could disregard the unsafe conditions and continue the
task (unsafe act). The reasons of failure to identify unsafe conditions and also the
reasons that the worker continue the task after identification of unsafe condition
should be investigated by management.

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Health and Safety climate also affect the use of PPE’s by workers (Cavazza and Serpe,
2009). Please Cooper (2009) for discussion on Health and safety climate in relation to
organisational health systems, leadership, risk controls systems, Health and Safety
auditing, training and behaviour in the workplace. Cavazza and Serpe (2009) observe
that organisational health and safety concern, senior managers Health and Safety
concern and supervisors attitudes towards health and safety tend to be positively
associated with the individual ambivalence levels in terms of the use of PPE. In brief, the
poor use of PPE’s is indicative of the elements of poor management of construction
Health and Safety (Tam et al, 2004).

2.5 Attitudes towards construction health and safety


Despite efforts to effectively prevent and control the cause of accidents in the
construction industry, the problem of Health and safety in the industry is still a cause of
great concern (Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2003) Much of this concern can be
minimised with the active involvement of the client, which ultimately result in less
incidents and accidents on site. Enhassi and Mayer (2004) state that if construction sites
are not to become safer, the major task is to change people’s attitudes. In practice for
example, not all clients pay great attention to Health and Safety management because
of other business objectives such as profitability, schedule and quality (Zeng et al. 2004).
Issues of health and safety are rarely addressed by owners, engineers and contractors
during the construction planning execution processes (Rowlinson, 2004).
Thus, striving for enhanced H&S performance will remain elusive if the client is not actively
involved in solutions. Huang and Hinze (2006) argue that the involvement of clients or owners is
an essential requirement for the achievement of the zero harm goals. Other researchers have
also recognised the importance of the client in the management of H&S. Suraji et al. (2001)
noted that construction H&S can be successfully influenced by clients. To emphasise the point
that clients are very important in the management of H&S, Suraji et al. (2001) argue in their
paper on accident causation that construction accidents are caused by inappropriate responses
to certain constraints in the environment. They observed for example that the client responses
are the actions or failure to act in response to constraints that emerge during the development
of a project. According to them, these include reducing the project budget, adding new project
criteria, changing project objectives and accelerating the design or construction efforts of the
project. These perceptions are reinforced by clients who abdicate their roles and put on H&S
responsibilities on contractors.

Increasing research findings are beginning to highlight the gaps in enforcements (Geminiani and
Smallwood, 2008). In essence, regulations alone are not a panacea in dealing with the challenges
of H&S in the construction industry. Trained manpower also has a role to play in dealing with the
matter. At the moment, anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a competency deficit in the
sector in Lesotho. Most contractors do not have trained personnel who understand the

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complexity of issues on the construction site and are able to come up with interventions. Though
it would be unfair to paint all contractors with one brush, as some contractors may have
employed competent H&S practitioners and the situation of those contractors would be better
than those who do not have competent practitioners; contractors that lack competent H&S
practitioners are the ones that have high potential to accommodate failures. It would also be
good for the economy of Lesotho, if contractors whose H&S performance is poor learn from best
practices. One of such best practice is the provision of required PPEs for workers on project
sites.

Nevertheless, a proactive management of H&S requires the use of an approach that is not
dependent on the monitoring of injuries after they occur (lagging indicators of performance)
(Hinze, 2005). Rather than basing H&S actions on measures of failure, a shift in thinking is
needed whereby the focus is on actions that can lead to good H&S performance (leading
indicators of performance) (Hinze, 2005). The attitude of leaders plays an important role in
cultivating a good H&S culture. As an illustration, a good leader will ensure that workers have all
required protections in the form of PPEs while working on site

CHAPTER 3; RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Methods Data Collection


It’s the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an
established systematic fashion, which then enables one to answer relevant questions and
evaluate outcomes.
The following methods were used for collecting data; questionnaire, observation and
interview.
Questionnaire
It is a research instrument consisting of services of questions and other prompts for the
purpose of gathering information from respondents.
A distinction was made between questionnaires with questions that measure separate
variables and questionnaires with questions that are aggregated into either a scale or index.
Questionnaire within the former category are commonly part surveys, whereas the
questionnaire in the letter category are commonly part of test.
This method was used because of some reasons as stated below;

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• Good for measuring attitudes and eliciting other content from research participants.
• Inexpensive especially mail questions and group administered questionnaires.
• Can provide information about participant’s internal meanings and ways of thinking.
• Can administer to probability samples.
• Perceived anonymity by respondent may be high.
• Moderately high measurement validity [i.e. high reliability and validity] for well-
constructed and validated questionnaires.
Though the method is good in some instance they are some weaknesses;
• Usually must be kept short.
• Reactive effects may occur e.g. interviewees may try to show only what is socially
desirable.
• People filling out questionnaires may not recall important information and may lack
self-awareness.

Interviews
Interview was used for data collection.
The following are strengths and weaknesses of interview;
Strengths of interviews
• Good for measuring attributes and most other content of interest.
• Allows probing and posing of follow-up questions by the interviewer.
• Can provide in-depth information.
• Can provide information about participants’ internal meanings and ways of thinking.
• Closed ended interviews provide exact information needed by the researcher.

Weakness of interviews
• In-persons interviews usually are expensive and time consuming.
• Reactive effects [e.g. interviewees may try to show only what is socially desirable.
• Investigator effects may occur [e.g. untrained interviewer may distort data base
because of personal information and may lack self-awareness.

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Observation
The researcher used the observation method based on was seen, heard or noticed. The
method is having some strengths and weaknesses as follows;
Strengths of observation
• Allows one to see directly what people do without having to rely on what they do.
• Provides first-hand experience, especially if observer participants in nativities.
• Can provide readily objective measurement of behaviour especially for standardized
observation
• Observer may see things that escape the awareness of people in the setting.
• Excellent way to discover what is occurring in a setting.
Weakness of observation
• Reasons for observed behaviour may be unclear.
• Reactive effects may occur when respondents know they are being observed [e.g.
people being observed may behave in typical ways].
• Investigator effects [e.g. personal biases and selective perception of observers.

3.2 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS


Data was adopted by the researcher after being analysed by the researcher after collecting
all the data. The method of analysis is conceptual framework mode which is used to make
conceptual distinction and organise ideas. Strong conceptual frameworks capture
something which is real and do this in a way that is easy to remember and apply.

3.3 DATA PRESENTATION


Presentation was used in form of tables and graph.
The following methods were used to present data;

 Bar graph- A bar graph is a way of summarising a set of categorical data. It displays
the data using a number of rectangles, of width, each of which represents particular
category. Bar graphs can be displayed horizontally or vertically and they usually
drawn with a gap between the bars (rectangles).

 Table- A table is an arrangement of data in rows and in columns, or possibly in a


more complex structure.

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CHAPTER 4; FINDINGS
A total of 70 respondents participated in the study. Five respondents did not return the
questionnaires. In this chapter, the data are presented in the form of tables and graphs

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NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES COMING TO WORK
Fro
WEARING &NOT WEARING PPE
m
70
the
60 55 gra
NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES

50
48 ph
40 42 is
38 37
40
32 33
30
not
28
30 abl
22
20 15
e
tha
10
t
0
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
dur
wearing PPE 32 33 30 28 22 15 ing
not wearing PPE 38 37 40 42 48 55 the
we
ek number of employees wearing PPE is high as compared and decreases toward weekend
and during the weekend. The researcher has found out the reasons leading to this decrease,
this is because some of the employees after work since it will be weekends, employees will
be going to recreational places i.e. (bars ,clubs) and some will be visiting their families and
friends.
The increase in number of employees coming to work without wearing PPE in weekends can
be also behind the reason that during weekends supervisors are not in or they spent less
time at work and they won’t take notice of who is and not wearing PPE e.g. they can take
about 10-15 minutes when its weekend and disappear. Friday and Saturday the number of
people coming to work without wearing PPE is high because that’s the time were
supervisors are rarely seen and also.
Construction companies set rules and regulations to be obeyed by all the employees
working in that company, especially the one that PPE should be compulsory when entering
construction areas.

TABLE 1; the association between levels of education of the respondents and


Knowledge about PPE

Highest level of No knowledge Knowledgeable Total

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education
No education 3 5 8
Primary 11 17 28
Junior 14 11 25
Senior 2 4 6
Tertiary 0 3 3
TOTAL 28 42 70

The majority of the respondent’s didn’t have knowledge about PPPE, this might be due to
the fact that most respondents didn’t go far with their level of education, this is shown in
the table as we see that most of the workers studied up to junior level. Therefore training
and induction should be given to employees in order to increase their knowledge of
understanding. Although, majority of the employees did not show knowledge about PPE,3
workers of tertiary level showed their understanding about, This shows that level of
education also contribute to the knowledge of employees towards PPE.

TABLE 2; the association between levels of education of the respondents and attitudes
Towards the use of PPE

Highest level of Negative Positive Total


education
No education 5 3 8
Primary 18 10 28
Junior 17 8 25
Senior 5 1 6
Tertiary 0 3 3
Total 45 25 70

In this study, the association between the level of education of the respondents and the
attitudes towards PPE was not statically significant. There was no association between level
of education and the attitudes PPE. This is because most of the respondents have negative
attitudes towards the use of PPE and usually the excuses given by workers for not wearing
PPE is that is not comfortable and interfere with the performance of their task.
4.2 Results and discussion

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The construction industry is a very dangerous industry, the performance of the industry in
health and safety is very poor. Most construction companies turns to focus much on their
service delivery efforts in order to meet the demand of customers and forget the health and
safety of workers. It is the responsibility of the employer to assess the hazards, to select proper
equipment and to train employees to use equipment correctly. Therefore employees need to put
time, effort and emotional energy in order to make sure that employees are protected
against hazards and risks by providing them with quality PPE. It is advisable that each and
every time workers should undergo induction process about the importance of PPE, This
should be done so that workers may have knowledge and positive attitudes towards the use
of PPE. Site observation was used to visually establish how construction workers use PPE’s
on site in Stepmess. Although pictures were prohibited in site, the researcher was able to
identify poor use of PPE on selected sites and several sites visited in 2017.
Now with conceptual model, the role and importance of PPE were assessed in Stepmess.
Since Stepmess is one of the growing construction companies in Botswana, it assist about
three to four companies in a year to build and re-build infrastructure for different Safari
companies i.e. houses, offices, Lodges, whereas the company is running about with 70
workers.
Services offered at Stepmess include thatching using grass and gum poles, building using
wood and cement. While doing this services workers may cut woods using saws, or may use
ladders to reach up to high above areas e.g. the roof. This services are dangerous as most of
the workers are doing it without wearing PPE. The problem of not understanding the role
and importance of PPE by workers is caused by is caused by several reasons which include;
poor organisational culture, lack of education by workers and the reason that there are no
health and safety officers.
Level of education of workers
Level of education of workers play a critical role in roles and importance PPE in Stepmess
workers pertaining their knowledge and attitude’s, as we the researcher found that most
employees don’t have knowledge about PPE and this might behind the fact that most of the
employees did not reach the highest level in their education, because as we look at the
tables above the people who went to tertiary have good knowledge and also have positive
attitudes towards the use of PPE as compared to those who did not go further with their
education.
Absence of Health and Safety Officers
Health and Safety officers’ presence can make a huge difference in construction companies
because health and safety officers are the one to ensure that workers are wearing PPE and
can force the employer to buy PPE. Health and safety officers make sure that employer
provides workers with full PPE uniform and make sure that all employees are wearing it at
all times. Because Health and safety officers of stepmess are rarely seen in stepmess most
of the workers come to work without wearing PPE, including workers.
4.3 Conclusion

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Poor organisational culture are long existing mentalities, morals, norms and values that
defines the style of work within an organisation, normally it develops within the employees
over long period of time and once established it is difficult to reverse. These includes, how
the workers are dressed during working period, are the given induction, are they given PPE
at the right or thereto health and safety standards. Also the attitudes of employees towards
PPE, do they wear it according to manufactures. If organisational culture is not moulded
well in time, in line with organisational goals it will end up being poor and this will affect
health, thus leading to illness of workers and lawsuits that will result in in tarnishing the
name of the company and thus resulting in the company being shut down. To solve these,
management should develop good organisational culture that support good health and
safety regulations and active monitoring.
Lack of knowledge of employees may lead to negative attitudes towards the use of PPE, this
is because employees may lack induction, and this employees who have negative attitudes
towards PPE may influence others. End sometimes this negative attitudes towards PPE are
caused by wearing PPE which is not of good quality, e.g. an employee using safety boots
which are heavy, coveralls which are oversized. To improve this situation an organisation
need to give its workers induction and try to provide them with quality PPE. Climate also
has influence on workers attitudes towards PPE, this is because in summer it’s hot and PPE
can increase the temperature while one is working wearing it, also in winter its cold and
workers will need to wear something that will warm therefore, employers need to buy PPE
which caters for all seasons i.e. quality PPE.
The employers of Stepmess fail to provide their workers with full PPE despite winning more
tenders and making more income. They also fail to provide their employees with quality PPE
& thus putting the life of workers at risk.

4.4 Recommendation
It is therefore recommended that;

 The government should enforce the law by punishing anyone who is not complying
with it and to make sure that health and safety officers are enough to go about the
whole country assessing the construction sites.
 Employers need to be involved in the development of health and safety programme
within their companies in order to give support were necessary and develop
induction training in order to teach employees about the importance of PPE and the
role it plays in their life’s.
 The PPE training and education ought to be intensified continuously and should include all
employees; especially in the production / operational area.

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 The employees ought to be consulted during the procurement process of recommended
types of the protective clothing they are using.

 Health and Safety representatives ought to monitor the use of PPE and encourage the use of
PPE amongst the employees.
 All the employees ought to be made aware of the repercussions of not complying with PPE,
e.g. that claims for injury on duty or occupational disease might not be paid or entertained
by the Compensation Commissioner.
 Prizes can be awarded to the most complying sections or individual employees to encourage
the use of PPE.

CHAPTER 5; Summary of findings, conclusions and Recommendations

The purpose of the study was to establish whether PPE was used effectively, and to determine the
knowledge about attitude towards PPE and the role it plays to keep employees safe.

The following conclusions were drawn from the findings;

There are many dangers to health and safety in an industrial working environment which could be
minimised or eliminated by wearing protective clothing. The excuses usually given by workers for
not wearing protective clothing are that it is uncomfortable, interfere with the performance of their
tasks, and putting it on and taking it off is too cumbersome. The respondents demonstrated that
they did not have knowledge about PPE. There was an inappropriate response to the majority of the
questions in relation to knowledge about PPE. They showed no understanding of what PPE was

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although some were trained in the use of PPE and the training might not have been effective. The
non-use and importance of different types of protective clothing, for example helmets, safety boots,
masks, ear protection, goggles and overalls were mentioned by the participants. The findings
revealed that the participants had a negative attitude towards PPE. They had indicated that it was
necessary to have PPE where they were working. They were also in favour of punitive measures
being instituted for the non-users of the protective equipment. Respondents did not accept the
quality of their PPE, which made it unsuitable for their workplace. A bad practice were
demonstrated where majority of the respondents did not always use PPE. Most of the different
types of PPE like overalls, boots, gloves, ear protection and goggles were not used by most of the
respondents. Furthermore, workers utilising PPE should be adequately trained, educated and
motivated. In order to make sure that the right type of PPE is chosen, careful and due consideration
should be given to different hazards in the workplace. It will make it easier to assess which type of
PPE is suitable to protect workers from hazards while they are performing their occupational duties.
PPE ought to satisfy certain basic safety requirements and should have been tested and certified.

Therefore is recommended that;

• Clients should improve their interest in H&S and appoint contractors that provide proper
programmes that are consistent with national regulations to ensure the H&S of workers,
especially in relation to PPEs.
• Employers and contractors should explore the costs for PPE measures and explicitly include
it as part of tendering and costing for project execution.
• Contractors should ensure that PPEs are checked at regular intervals to ensure that they
remain fit for purpose and site supervisors should not abdicate their H&S role by allowing
the execution of work on site by workers that do not make use of required PPE.
• Workers should also wear PPE properly either as directed by their employer or in
compliance with the instructions of the person in control of the construction site.
• Worker should also take care of the equipment; refrain from misuse of the equipment and
most importantly, report defects and problems to their supervisors.
• Workers at a construction site have a right to proper information regarding their safety
before they start of on a project. This information should be obtainable in a language that
they can understand. In other words, inductions as mandated by the law must be properly
conducted on project sites and it must include the basics such as the compulsory usage of
PPEs.

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