Abstract
The working condition concept is an essential topic in the construction industry where management must provide a workplace that is free from hazards and risks that might cause accidents. Site management, in particular, must maintain working conditions that are safe and healthy for the workforce. This is, however, not the case in reality as injuries and fatalities are often linked to working condition factors in construction. This paper thus reports on the factors causing poor working conditions on construction sites in the central region of South Africa. This study adopted an ethnographic research approach to conduct 12 semi-structured interviews. From the findings, it was discovered that most of the construction workers are exposed to the dangerous working environment, which may harm their health, safety and well-being (HSW). The paper further highlights the lack of proper housekeeping as an area of serious concern in this context. The influence of lack of housekeeping frequently contributes to injuries and accidents in the construction sites. Therefore, a measure to improve housekeeping and other working condition factors should be deployed on-site with management tools such as the 5S (Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize and Sustain).
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Acknowledgements
In developing this paper, the author has drawn on research work assigned to his students in 2018. The author gratefully acknowledges Caroline Motaung, Damon Fredericks and Jaundre Venter. The contributions of the anonymous reviewers of the paper are also appreciated. The financial support of the National Research Foundation for the work of the author is recognized.
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Emuze, F., Mollo, L. (2021). Exploring the Working Conditions of People in Construction. In: Ahmed, S.M., Hampton, P., Azhar, S., D. Saul, A. (eds) Collaboration and Integration in Construction, Engineering, Management and Technology. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48465-1_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48465-1_9
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