Occupational Health and Safety Risk Control in Construction Projects among Construction Workers in Melbourne

Running Head: OCCUPTIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY 1
Occupational Health and Safety Risk Control in Construction Projects among Construction
Workers in Melbourne
Name
Institution

OCCUPTIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY 2
Contents
1.0 Introduction.............................................................................................................................3
1.1 Problem Statement..............................................................................................................3
1.2 Aims and Objectives of the study.......................................................................................4
1.3 Research questions...............................................................................................................4
1.4 Justification of the study.....................................................................................................5
2.0 Conceptual Framework...........................................................................................................5
2.1 Construction Injuries and deaths in Australia..................................................................5
2.2 Risk Perception....................................................................................................................6
2.3 Definition of Health and Safety...........................................................................................6
2.4 Occupational Health and Safety.........................................................................................7
2.5 Health hazards and risks.....................................................................................................7
2.6 Causes of Poor Health and Safety Practices......................................................................9
2.7 Possible methods of improving construction sites...........................................................10
3.0 Methodology...........................................................................................................................11
3.1 Research methods and Data collection.............................................................................11
3.2 Population..........................................................................................................................12
3.3 Sampling.............................................................................................................................12
3.4 Variables and Analysis......................................................................................................12
3.5 Organization of the study..................................................................................................12
4.0 References..............................................................................................................................13
5.0 Appendix.................................................................................................................................16

OCCUPTIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY 3
1.0 Introduction
Construction industry plays a significant role in the Australian. The industry accounts
for 9.8 percent of the working population and 13.5 percent of all industry revenue (Bankwest,
2017). The main drivers of the industry include loan rates, housing affordability, commercial
space, dwelling approvals, and retail turnover. Construction sites are usually busy places,
where most contractors work side by side and close to moving trucks. This kind of
environment presents health risks to workers and therefore necessitates cooperation,
consultation, and coordination to ensure health and safety of those working on the site. This
paper explores the risk associated with construction sites in terms accidents and health
hazards. The paper emphasizes on the role of the management commitment, workers’
attitude, and effectiveness of safety policies in ensuring the health and safety of workers at
the construction sites.
1.1 Problem Statement
Occupational health and safety is vital aspect in construction sites. OHS ensures that
workers are not exposed to accidents or chronic health condition. There is need to explore
strategic approaches to reducing the number of deaths, injuries, and chronic conditions that
are caused by accidents and exposure to hazardous chemicals at the construction sites.
Organizational commitment, workers’ attitude, expertise, and OHS designs are some of the
factors that have been linked to the occurrence of health hazards and deaths (Zou, 2015).
Most of the recent studies focus on the financial, health, and legal implications of
organizational health and safety policies. There is limited study on the relationship between
OHS with the management commitment, workers’ attitude, and the effectiveness of OHS.
1.2 Aims and Objectives of the study
The aim of this study is to explore occupational health and safety risks that
construction workers in Melbourne are exposed to by focusing on issues of management

OCCUPTIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY 4
safety standards and commitment, workers’ awareness on safety issues, and their attitudes.
The study also aims at exploring effective measures that construction project managers
should adopt to reinforce OHS standards and mitigate health hazards and accidents that
occurs due to deficiency or incognisance of the safety policies.
Objectives
1. To explore how management commitment on the welfare of workers affects the
occupational health and safety in construction site
2. To examine the impact of the workers’ attitude towards the safety policy and
standards on the OHS in construction sites
3. To find the role of occupational health and safety on the performance and productivity
of workers at the construction site
1.3 Research questions
1. Does management commitment on the welfare of workers affect the occupational
health and safety in construction sites?
2. What is the impact of the workers’ attitude towards the safety policy and standards on
the OHS in construction sites?
3. What is the role of occupational health and safety on the performance and
productivity of workers at the construction site?
1.4 Justification of the study
There has been increasing cases of injuries, chronic health conditions— for example
lung cancer and respiratory diseases— and deaths due to exposure to hazardous chemicals
and accidents at the construction sites. The recent studies on OHS, however, have not
adequately collected experts’ opinions on their experiences on accidents that occur at the