Social Approach to Sustainable Construction Practices Through Safety Culture

Increasingly calls for more sustainable construction have occasioned more actions towards sustainability. A meaningful sustainable construction is inimical without significant cultural and behavioural change in how the construction industry manages its safety issues. It is based on these calls that this paper assesses the practical approach to sustainable construction practices through safety culture in Nigeria. It examined relationship between safety culture dimensions and sustainable construction practices in Nigeria. The paper provides a framework through which a sustained cultural and behavioural change in management of safety in construction can lead to sustainable construction practices. It employed a questionnaire survey which was conducted in South East Nigeria. Questionnaire was distributed to contractors, consultants and instructors in the built environment disciplines. The data collected were analyzed using Chi-square (X 2 ) statistical test, at (α = 0.05). The results revealed that the computed chi-square (X 2 ) for all the four safety culture dimensions (management commitment = 34.04; belief and perception = 46.50; regulatory framework = 19.16; education and training = 20.63) were greater than X 2 0.05,8 (15.51). Based on this result, it was concluded that safety culture dimensions have significant relationship with sustainable construction practices. The study revealed that imbibing safety culture through management commitment to safety concerns of construction workers, workers perception and belief about safety issues, instituting regulatory framework that will ensure strict compliance to safety regulations by the relevant authorities and providing safety training and education to the construction workers, promote sustainable construction practices. The study recommends that safety training for all construction workers, both at management and operation levels; and institution of regulatory framework will ensure strict compliance to safety regulations.