Workplace Health and Safety Practices

This assignment provides a comprehensive overview of workplace health and safety (WHS) practices in various industries. It covers topics such as WHS laws and regulations, language proficiency requirements for workers, and the role of human resource development (HRD) trainees in promoting safe work environments. The assignment also touches on issues related to international student security, low health literacy, and limited English proficiency. Additionally, it discusses corporate language policy in a globalized era, employee commitment to globalization, and the importance of communicating occupational health and safety across languages.

Running head: DISSERTATION
Implications of Limited English Language Proficiency on WSH –A Survey in 5 Construction
Companies in Singapore
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1DISSERTATION
Abstract
Language proficiency is an important factor for efficient functioning. In the organizational
culture, language proficiency helps the employees to increase their understanding of all types of
the organizational policies. Since, English has emerged as the global language; the proficiency in
English is preferred all over the world for effective functioning of the organization. Workplace
safety and health is a rising issue in all types of organizations in Singapore as well as across the
world. The aim of this research paper is to find out the implications of the limited English
language proficiency on the workplace safety and health. The researcher chose 50 employees of
5 different construction companies of Singapore and conducted a survey to collect primary data.
The data was analysed using quantitative approach. The research found that the proficiency in
English could be helpful in better understanding of organizational workplace safety and health
policies. Lastly, the researcher presented the conclusion that proficiency in English is beneficial
for both the organizations and the employees in terms of better communication and better
understanding of the policies and people with proficiency in English get a preference over the
people who do not have that language proficiency during the recruitment, especially in the case
of multinational companies.

2DISSERTATION
Acknowledgement
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who have been a great help in
completing the dissertation. These people had led me and helped me to know my hidden
potential and strength and utilize it in the best possible way in the undertaken research. I would
like to express my deep gratitude towards supervisor for his constant monitoring and
commendable and exemplary guidance, which has led me to complete the dissertation in the due
course of time. The guidance and unconditional support provided by him not only helped me a
lot during the thesis completion but also will remain with me for a longer time period on the
journey of my life. I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the participants who lend
their valuable input to develop an understanding about impact of training and development on
the job satisfaction of the government sector employees of the Sultanate of Oman Furthermore, I
would like to thank my family and friends, especially my dear mother and wife, who have been a
constant source of Inspiration, encouragement and support, and who they did not give up of
supplication to me of success, without which this task cannot be accomplished.

3DISSERTATION
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................5
1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................5
1.2 Background study of the research..........................................................................................5
1.3 Research aim..........................................................................................................................6
1.4 Research objectives...............................................................................................................6
1.5 Research questions.................................................................................................................7
1.6 Research hypotheses..............................................................................................................7
1.7 Research rationale..................................................................................................................8
1.8 Structure of the research........................................................................................................9
Chapter 2: Literature review..........................................................................................................10
2.1 English as an international language...................................................................................10
2.2 English language proficiency and implications in the workplace.......................................10
2.3 Workplace Safety and Health..............................................................................................11
2.4 English proficiency and organizational policies..................................................................12
2.5 Summary..............................................................................................................................13
Chapter 3: Research methodology.................................................................................................14
3.1 Research philosophy............................................................................................................14
3.2 Research approach...............................................................................................................14

4DISSERTATION
3.3 Research strategy.................................................................................................................14
3.4 Research design...................................................................................................................15
3.5 Data collection process........................................................................................................15
3.6 Sampling method.................................................................................................................16
3.7 Data analysis process...........................................................................................................16
3.8 Ethical consideration...........................................................................................................17
3.9 Summary..............................................................................................................................17
Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion........................................................................................18
4.1 Analytical findings and explanations...................................................................................18
4.1.1 Demographic elements.................................................................................................18
4.1.2 Subjective factors..........................................................................................................20
Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations..............................................................................27
5.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................27
5.2 Linking to the objectives.....................................................................................................27
5.2.1 Linking to the first objective.........................................................................................27
5.2.2 Linking to the second objective....................................................................................28
5.2.3 Linking to the third objective.......................................................................................28
5.3 Recommendations................................................................................................................29
5.4 Limitations and future scope of the study............................................................................30
References......................................................................................................................................31

5DISSERTATION
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction
Language proficiency is very important in the matter of WSH. In the times of emergency
in the occupational safety, if people cannot understand each other’s language, it may bring fatal
consequences (Sawir et al. 2012). English is the global language and as the instances of
occupational migration have been increasing at a very rapid rate, the need to have a common
language is increasing also. This research paper intends to find out the impact of the English
language on the workplace safety and health. The researcher will be conducting a survey on the
employees of five reputed companies of Singapore to get an idea about the implications of the
topic of the research. This chapter is the introductory chapter that aims to introduce the topic of
the research study to the readers. The aim and objective of the study, background study, research
questions and hypothesis and research rationale are presented in this chapter.
1.2 Background study of the research
WSH is often referred to as occupational health and safety. This is concerned with the
assessment and mitigation of the risks and hazards associated with the health and safety of the
people in the workplace (Murray 2013). This includes the welfare, health and safety of the
customers or visitors as well along with that of the employees, contractors, suppliers and
volunteers. The government sets many laws regarding the workplace safety and health (WSH)
issues and any business owner, be government or private, must comply with those WSH
principles and regulations as a mandatory requirement while conducting the business. The
employees are also expected to know those policies very well while working in an organization.

6DISSERTATION
In the era of globalization, the instances of employee migration have increased
significantly. The skilled as well as unskilled workers are migrating from their home county to
another for better career growth and higher salary (Vertovec 2015). Singapore has also seen a
rapid increase in the migrated workers in the last few decades. Skilled and unskilled workers
from various parts of the world have migrated to Singapore and they have a vast difference in
their culture and languages. Many of these workers as well as many citizens of Singapore are not
proficient in English language. However, almost all the organizations maintain English as their
official language and some also keep Mandarin and Chinese as another official language. The
rules and regulations and the policies are often drafted in English. It is found that, the natives,
who do not have proficiency in English language, sometimes face challenges to understand the
policies and often they skip the effort to understand those (Bai, Hu and Gu 2014). These create
problems in the working system, especially in case of WSH issues. This research paper aims to
evaluate the impact of knowledge and proficiency of English language that helps to understand
and follow the WSH policies in the Singaporean organizations.
1.3 Research aim
The aim of the research study is to find out the impact of the knowledge and proficiency
of English language on the WSH. As English is the global language, it is expected that the
migrated workforce in any country are proficient in English, if not in the local and regional
language. Hence, the extent of impact that the language proficiency can have on the occupational
health and safety is the subject matter of this research paper.
1.4 Research objectives
The objectives of this research paper are as follows.

7DISSERTATION
 To evaluate the impact of knowledge on the English language on the workplace
environment in terms of WSH issues
 To identify the effectiveness of English language proficiency in understanding the WSH
principles of an organization
 To evaluate if the people who are either bilingual or proficient in the English language
have an advantage over the people who speak other languages during the implementation
of the WSH policies and principles.
1.5 Research questions
The research questions for this research study are:
1) What is the impact of having knowledge in English language on the work environment in
terms of WSH issues?
2) How much the proficiency in English language is effective for understanding the WSH
policies of an organization?
3) Do the people, with knowledge or proficiency in English, have an advantage over the
people speaking other languages while understanding and implementing the WSH
policies?
1.6 Research hypotheses
H0 (null hypothesis): Proficiency of English language does not have any impact on WSH
H1 (alternative hypothesis): Proficiency of English language has significant impact on WSH

8DISSERTATION
1.7 Research rationale
Research rationale depicts the logic behind conducting the research study. The researcher
aims to address the gap in the previous literatures and research studies that have been conducted
on the similar topic or subject. Various researches have been conducted earlier by other scholars
that addressed various aspects of occupational health and safety. Through this research study, the
relation between the English language proficiency and how it helps in better understanding and
implementing the policies and regulations on WSH will be explored.
Knowledge and proficiency in English can help employees enormously when it comes to
understanding the WSH requirements written in English and therefore being able to adhere to the
regulations. The topic has been so chosen because it constitutes a major problem in the health
and safety regulations overall. In the current world, every country has some workforce who is
from another country (Knoch et al. 2015). This makes it inevitable that communication gaps
would be present. While it is not at all easy to ensure that every person knows the language of
every other person, English could serve as the bridge that could be sued by everyone so that
every aspect is at least conveyed to each other. This alone could prove to be beneficial. Unless a
proper communication is established, it is equally impossible to fully comprehend the regulations
and country-specific WSH policies or what are the implications of the same (Murray and Hicks
2016).

9DISSERTATION
1.8 Structure of the research
Chapter 1 of the research paper is the introduction. In this chapter the researcher introduces the
research topic to the readers. The background study, research rationale, research aim, objectives,
questions and hypothesis are presented in this chapter.
In chapter 2, the researcher presents the literature review. To conduct this research study, the
researcher studies various scholarly articles and online publications and presents the gained
knowledge in this chapter to throw light on various aspects of the research topic.
Chapter 3 presents the research methodology. The basic plan of the researcher to address the
research questions will be presented in this chapter. The philosophy, approach, design and
strategy of research, data collection and analysis process are address in chapter 3.
Data analysis and its findings are discussed in chapter 4. The researcher will be collecting either
primary or secondary data and will analyze it using either qualitative or quantitative method. The
findings and their explanations in relation to the research topic will be discussed in this chapter.
Chapter 5 is the conclusion. The researcher establishes the relation between the findings and
research objectives to see that whether the research study could fulfill the research objectives.
The researcher will also present some recommendations based on the study and limitations and
future scope of research in this chapter.

10DISSERTATION
Chapter 2: Literature review
2.1 English as an international language
English language has been able to spread across the globe quite rapidly and become the
most popular and widely used international language. Almost all the industries and businesses
around the globe use English as the official language, which has brought a change in the
education system of countries. Being an easy language, people have easily adapted to English
and that made the business world to function without much hitches. With the increasing level of
globalization, the adoption of English has been increasing too. However, there are many nations,
where English still could not capture the position of official language, but during any
international transaction, they are bound to use the English language. English also works as a
thread in integrating different cultures (Pennycook 2014). The existence of colonies helped in
establishing the language in those regions and that had an impact on the culture of the people too.
2.2 English language proficiency and implications in the workplace
Language proficiency, often known as Linguistic proficiency is referred to the capability
of an individual of speaking or performing in a language. It is assumed that an individual
becomes proficient in his mother-tongue naturally. Years of schooling and education make a
person proficient in other languages (Sentell and Braun 2012). As English is the most important
language in the world at present, the parents of every child want English proficiency for their
child. In the working environment also, having language proficiency is an added advantage. This
helps an individual to communicate effectively and perform efficiently. As stated by Moslehifar
and Ibrahim (2012), when an organization expands internationally and operates as a

11DISSERTATION
multinational company, it needs to hire people from different countries, based on the location of
the offices and therefore, to have an integrated communication network, there must be a common
language to be used for all official purposes. Hence, the demand of English and English
proficient people has become extremely high in the past few decades, especially after the
economic liberalization and globalization (Sentell and Braun 2012). In many countries, English
is the official language while in others, it is not. These countries have kept their regional
language as the official language. However, English helps in internal and external
communication in the multinational companies.
2.3 Workplace Safety and Health
WSH is a very important issue in the industrial as well as service sector across the world.
This is sometimes termed as occupational safety and health measures. These measures are
directly related to the physical wellbeing of the employees, which is dependent on the
occupational hazards. There are numerous industries, where physical labor is the fundamental
requirement. Hence, the organizations must take the responsibility of the safety of the employees
while working for them. At the same time, the service sector also has to ensure the physical as
well as mental health of the employees remain well, otherwise, they cannot deliver their
maximum productivity (Friend and Kohn 2014). Thus, health and safety of the employees are
one of the most important requirements, which need to be fulfilled by the organizations, as per
the government rule. The clauses are set according to the nature of work of the organizations.
They are responsible for designing the WSH policies, that must include well being clauses for
physical and mental wellbeing of the employees and every employee should be aware of those
clauses (Eeckelaert et al. 2012). Many companies have health and safety representatives, who
represent the safety and health interests of the employees to the higher management.

12DISSERTATION
WSH measures are taken by the organizations to ensure a safe working environment to
the employees. It is a responsibility of the organizations to make the employees feel safe and
secured while working for them. Hence, WSH policies are made and distributed to the
employees to make them aware about the policies. Mental as well as physical wellness of the
employees is the concern of the organizations, as both are required to achieve the organizational
goals (Consultaustralia.com.au 2016). As stated in a compliance code by WorkSafe Victoria
(2014), the WSH discipline also includes the protection of safety and health matters of the
stakeholders from exposure to the hazards and the risks arising from the work activities. These
concerns have pushed the government of almost all countries to introduce WSH laws and
regulations and made it mandatory for the organizations to strictly follow them.
2.4 English proficiency and organizational policies
As stated by Sato (2015), speaking in English has become a mandate in almost all global
companies and the benefit brings global coverage and efficiency while the disadvantage is the
resistance that arises from within the workforce who are unwilling to accept the imposed
language. However, the organizations have to provide scope for the employees who do not have
proficiency in English and hence, require assistance in languages other than English to
understand the information of the policies, receive the training and participate in the program.
They also need the scope for communicating in their own language. Although, it is extremely
difficult for the organizations to provide assistance to the employees in any different languages,
they solve this communication issue by translating the policies in any one common language
other than English. However, it is evident that having proficiency or at least minimum
knowledge in English is beneficial for not only the employees but also for the organization, as
that ensures smooth and effective functioning of the organizations, saving much time that would

13DISSERTATION
have otherwise wasted in communicating the policy frameworks among the employees
(Business.gov.au 2018). People with good knowledge in English can have a better understanding
of the organizational policies and can implement those in a better, faster and efficient manner.
2.5 Summary
From literature review, it can be inferred that, researches have been undertaken on the
importance of English proficiency in life as well as in the workplace, policies and implications of
WSH and impact of English proficiency and its impact on organizational policies. From almost
all the papers, it is observed that English has a profound importance in the workplace. Through
this research, the researcher aims to find out the implications of English proficiency in
understanding and efficiently implementing the WSH policies in the workplace. This topic was
not addressed before by any scholar and hence, this topic was chosen for the research.

14DISSERTATION
Chapter 3: Research methodology
3.1 Research philosophy
The source and nature of the information directs the way to choose research philosophy.
In this research, the researcher adopted the quantitative method of research, by applying
appropriate statistical techniques on the primary data, collected from the employees of 5
construction companies in Singapore through a survey, and hence, the positivism philosophy
was adopted. This philosophy deals with highly structured large samples for data collection and
applying quantitative method of data analysis.
3.2 Research approach
Among the three major types of research approaches, namely, inductive, deductive and
abductive, in the given research, the researcher adopted the deductive approach of research, as
neither had he generated any new theory from the research nor he had to choose one potential
solution from many. Rather he tested the research hypothesis, that is, the implications of the
proficiency in English language on understanding the WSH policies on the basis of conventional
theories on the related subjects.
3.3 Research strategy
In the words of Bryman (2015), research strategy is the framework that exhibits the plan
of the researcher on how to proceed with the research study in the right direction to reach to a
logical conclusion. The researcher chose the survey strategy to collect data on the research
topic. Survey strategy is beneficial to get a first hand idea about the respondents’ perception
about the research topic (Robson and McCartan 2016), as in this case, the employees of the

15DISSERTATION
construction companies of Singapore were asked for participating in the survey to provide an
insight about the English language proficiency and its implications on the WSH policies.
3.4 Research design
Research design is mainly of two types, explanatory and exploratory. In the current
research topic, the researcher applied the explanatory research design as the researcher aimed
to explain the implications of the proficiency in the English language on the rules and regulations
regarding the WSH issues in the construction companies of Singapore.
3.5 Data collection process
The researcher collected both the primary and secondary data to address the research
questions. Primary data was collected through surveys on the employees of 5 construction
companies of Singapore and secondary data was collected from various scholarly articles, books,
online publications and peer-reviewed journals and was presented in the literature review and in
the conclusion. The study was analytical in nature, with a primary focus on the knowledge on the
English language and relating to the WSH norms to understand if the employees who do not
speak very good English fare equally to those who do, or not.
The survey questionnaire was designed in simple language and contained 10 close ended
and easy to understand questions. It aimed to understand the participants’ depth in the knowledge
of the language and their capabilities to communicate using the language. It was also observed
whether they could properly understand the WSH policies and regulations. The questionnaire
that was provided to them was helpful to get their answers on how they thought that they faced
problems in the workplace. Whether they were good in communicating in English and, if not, did
they believe that their lack of knowledge of English is in any way impacting the same. In order

16DISSERTATION
to conduct the survey, the researcher chose 10 employees each from 5 reputed construction
companies of Singapore. The companies are as follows.
 KOH General Contractors
 Star Air Pte Ltd
 GKB Engineering
 Maple Interiors
 Pacific Asia Pte Ltd
The survey was conducted to gather knowledge on the effectiveness of English language
proficiency for understanding WSH policies. Google form was used for collecting the responses.
The questionnaire contained total 10 close ended questions, first 3 out of those focused on
individual details and the last 7 focused on subjective elements.
3.6 Sampling method
50 participants across 5 different companies were surveyed upon, ten from each
company. In order to conduct the survey, simple random sampling was used by the researcher.
In simple random sampling, the samples have the equal probability of being chosen, and hence,
reduce the biasness in the data. The answers was analysed accordingly to find any trend that
suggests that WSH norms were compromised because of poor skills in English.
3.7 Data analysis process
The researcher analysed the collected data by using quantitative analysis method.
Various as well as appropriate statistical functions were performed on the data to get the desired
outcome. MS Excel was used for the data analysis. The survey responses were collected by using
Likert scale and the responses were converted into numerical data for the statistical analysis. The
secondary data was used for thematic analysis to provide supportive argument to the primary

17DISSERTATION
data analysis results. MS Excel was used to document the responses and performing statistical
calculation, that is, correlation.
3.8 Ethical consideration
The responses of the participants must be classified and it must be ensured that no
personal information is spread by any means (Yamao and Sekiguchi 2015). Some basic factors
must be maintained during the study; such as making sure that the survey participants are not
harmed in any way, and they must also be given full information about the survey beforehand so
that those who are not comfortable with such a survey can be able to not partake in the same. The
researcher followed the conditions for maintaining confidentiality of the personal information of
the respondents by declaring the agreement on the survey questionnaire. Originality of the paper
was strictly maintained by the researcher, as, plagiarism is a serious offence in the world of
education and the researcher can be penalized if found guilty. Hence, proper citation of the
sources of information was made throughout the paper.
3.9 Summary
To summarize the research methodology, it can be said that, the researcher chose
positivism philosophy of research, followed by deductive research approach, explanatory
research design and survey strategy of research. He collected primary data using simple random
sampling and secondary data from various journals for the purpose of literature review. The data
analysis was performed using quantitative method of analysis. The researcher used MS Excel to
perform the data analysis. Correlation was performed to find out the relation among the factors
required to test the hypotheses and the factors were chosen on the basis of the knowledge gained
through literature review.

18DISSERTATION
Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion
4.1 Analytical findings and explanations
4.1.1 Demographic elements
Demographic elements are the individual’s details that reflect the social and economic
status of the individual. These elements also represent various individualistic characteristics that
highlight the specific feature of the individual or respondents that are helpful in addressing the
research topic. In this research study, the tenure in the company, language proficiency and
educational qualification of the respondents are considered as demographic elements as these are
relevant factors to address the research topic.
Figure 1: Tenure in the company
Among the 50 respondents of the survey, 38% are associated with their respective companies for
2 to 5 years, 28% are for 6 months to 2 years, 18% respondents are working for more than 5
years and 16% are working for less than 6 months. Thus, it can be said that majority of the
respondents have work experience of 5 years and below.

19DISSERTATION
Figure 2: Educational Qualification
56% of the respondents are post graduate from the universities of Singapore and other countries.
26% hold graduation degree, 10% are pass outs of secondary schools, and 4% each hold diploma
and vocational training.
Figure 3: Language Proficiency
74% of the respondents have said that they have proficiency in English language other than their
own regional languages. 12% reported that they have proficiency in Mandarin only, 6% have
expertise in Tamil, 4% have proficiency in Chinese, and 2% each has proficiency in Malay and
Hindi. These 26% do not have proficiency in the English language.

20DISSERTATION
4.1.2 Subjective factors
The subjective elements are the factors that specifically focus on the research topic. In
this research study, the researcher selected 7 questions that particularly addressed the issue of
English language proficiency and its relation with the WSH in the 5 construction companies of
Singapore. Importance of WSH, importance of knowledge and proficiency of English language,
its relation with better availability of WSH services, organizations’ preference for people with
English proficiency and whether the organizations should give basic English language training to
the employees are addressed in this section of the questionnaire. The responses are collected in
the form of Likert scale values, 1 representing strongly disagree and 5 representing strongly
agree. The analysis and findings are presented below.
Figure 4: WSH is important in the workplace
50% of the respondents agreed and 42% strongly agreed that WSH is important in the workplace.
6% answered neutral and 2% disagreed. None of the respondents strongly disagreed to this
question. Hence, it can be said that majority of the respondents believe that WSH issues are very
important in any organization as that is closely related to the welfare of the employees.

21DISSERTATION
Figure 5: Communication is essential for the purpose of availing the advantages of the
WSH
The advantages of WSH policies can be availed in the best possible manner only when the
employees communicate and know about those. For that communication with the authority is
important. 54% agreed and 30% strongly agreed to that. 12% answered neutral and 4%
disagreed.
Figure 6: Proficiency in communicating in English

22DISSERTATION
46% of the respondents agreed and 28% strongly agreed that they believe that they have good
communication skills in English. 16% answered neutral, 6% disagreed and 4% strongly
disagreed. Hence, majority of the respondents have reported that they have knowledge and
proficiency in the English communication skills.
Figure 7: Efficiency in English helps in the workplace regarding availing the WSH services
Regarding the question on whether efficiency in the English language helps the employees in the
workplace while understanding and availing the WSH services, 50% agreed and 28% strongly
agreed. 12% responded neutral, 8% disagreed and 2% strongly disagreed to this question. Hence,
it can be said that, a large section of the respondents believe that proficiency in English is
beneficial in the matter of knowing, understanding and availing the WSH policies and services in
any organization.

23DISSERTATION
Figure 8: Better knowledge in English helps in better understanding of WSH services
44% of the respondents agreed and 28% strongly agreed that better knowledge in the English
language is beneficial for having a better understanding of the policies, including those for the
WSH. However, 14% remained neutral, 10% disagreed and 4% strongly disagreed. Hence,
importance of English language is undeniable.
Figure 9: Organization gives preference to people with proficiency in English language
On the question of whether the organizations give a preference to the people with proficiency in
English, 48% agreed and 18% strongly agreed. However, 18% responded neutral and 16%

24DISSERTATION
disagreed. The opinions varied because the researcher considered employees from five different
Singaporean construction companies and operational strategies in these companies are different.
Figure 10: Organization should give basic training in English language to make employees
aware of the WSH policies and guidelines
Regarding the question on whether the organizations should provide basic training to the
employees in the English language so that they can be more aware of various policies and
guidelines including the WSH policies, understand and implement those well, majority (52%)
agreed and 30% strongly agreed, 10% responded neutral and 8% disagreed. None of the
participants strongly disagreed to this. Thus, it can be said that the employees perceive that the
organizations should take some initiatives to make the employees more comfortable with various
types of organizational policies.
Correlation analysis
Correlation analysis is performed on the numeric factors to find out the relative
importance as well as impact of the factors on each other, that is, the level and direction of the
relation among the variables (Wildemuth 2016). The researcher used MS Excel tool to perform

25DISSERTATION
this function. The table below exhibits the correlation coefficients, which is measured against the
value of Pearson’s correlation coefficient, with the value ranging from +1 to -1.
WSH is
import
ant in
the
workpl
ace
Communic
ation is
essential
for the
purpose of
availing
the
advantage
s of the
WSH
Good skills
at English
communic
ation
efficien
cy in
English
can
help
you in
the
workpl
ace
regardi
ng
availin
g the
WSH
service
s
better
knowle
dge in
English
helps to
better
underst
and
WSH
service
s
organiza
tion
gives
preferen
ce to
people
with
proficien
cy in
English
organiza
tion
should
give
basic
training
in
English
languag
e to
make
employe
es aware
of the
WSH
policies
and
guidelin
es
WSH is
important
in the
workplace
1
Communic
ation is
essential
for the
purpose of
availing
the
advantage
s of the
WSH
0.4856 1
Good skills
at English
communica
tion
0.0269 0.3557 1
efficiency
in English
helps in
the
workplace
regarding
availing
the WSH
services
0.2173 0.2882 0.6808 1
better
knowledge
in English
helps to
better
understan
d WSH
services
0.1071 0.1459 0.5516 0.6401 1

26DISSERTATION
organizatio
n gives
preference
to people
with
proficiency
in English
language
-
0.0899 0.0447 0.3977 0.4914 0.6527 1
organizatio
n should
give basic
training in
English
language
to make
employees
aware of
the WSH
policies
and
guidelines
0.2567 0.3375 0.5182 0.4516 0.3824 0.4393 1
Table 1: Correlation among the variables
From the above table, it is found that all the variables are positively correlated with each other
except the relation between the importance of WSH in the workplace and if the organizations
give preference to the people with English proficiency. This indicates that the variables are
linearly dependent, that is, these are having a linear relationship (Wildemuth 2016). Importance
of WSH depends on people’s perception, while hiring people with English language proficiency
is an organizational strategy. These two factors cannot influence each other positively and hence,
the correlation coefficient is not positive. For all the other variables, focusing on the English
language proficiency and its effectiveness in understanding of the WSH policies and effective
implementation of those, have all displayed positive relation among each other, that is, one factor
positively influences the other.
Thus, it can be said at the end of this chapter, that, knowledge and proficiency of English
language is important for better understanding and implementation of the WSH policies. Similar

27DISSERTATION
to other types of organizational policies, the WSH rules and regulations should also be
understood by the employees, so that they can act accordingly if any situation arises. Having
proficiency in English helps the employees to know and understand the requirements of these
policies and regulations well and apply those efficiently when required. Thus, it can be said that
the null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted, that is, English
proficiency has significant impact on the WSH in the construction companies of Singapore.

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Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations
5.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the concluding remarks about the findings through the data analysis
of this research study. It is found from the process of data collection and analysis that, the
researcher had considered various factors that can affect effectiveness of the understanding of the
WSH policies of the 5 construction companies of Singapore. The selection of the factors came
from the knowledge gained from the study of the past literature. The researcher conducted
frequency analysis of the survey responses and it is found that the respondents have majorly
agreed to all the factors contributing to the English proficiency and its impact on the
understanding of the WSH policies in the company. It is also found that, all the factors are
positively correlated with each other, which indicates that English proficiency not only helps in
understanding the policies, but also in getting preference during the hiring process. The
comparison of the outcomes with the objectives of the paper is discussed below.
5.2 Linking to the objectives
5.2.1 Linking to the first objective
The first objective of this research paper is to evaluate the effect of proficient knowledge
in English language in the workplace environment regarding WSH policies. The researcher has
refereed to various scholarly articles on the related subjects to find out different aspects of the
implications of language proficiency on the policies, like, WSH. The researcher also analyzed
the primary data. From both types of data analysis, it is found that, language proficiency is

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important for any organization and for understanding all types of organizational policies. As
English is a global language, and number of international workers is increasing everywhere, the
organizations put emphasis on making English the formal or official language. English is also
very important for any international dealing. Hence, the organizations expect English language
proficiency or minimum the basic knowledge of English among the employees for a smooth
functioning of the organizational activities, such as, effective implementation of the WSH
policies.
5.2.2 Linking to the second objective
Identifying the effectiveness of English language in understanding the WSH principles of
an organization is the second objective of the research study. Through the analysis of the primary
data, the researcher has found that, the respondents perceive that proficiency in English language
is helpful in better understanding of the organizational policies, such as, WSH policies. Majority
of the respondents of the survey have reported that, better knowledge in English is beneficial for
a clear understanding as well as implementation of the policies effectively. As English is used
widely in all organizations across the world, concentration or only focus on the regional or local
language may put obstacles in the path of growth for the organization. Hence, for formulating
and implementing any policy, the organizations in Singapore are using English and the
employees also feel that the basic knowledge and proficiency will help them in better functioning
in the organization.
5.2.3 Linking to the third objective
The third objective of the paper aimed at evaluating if the people who have better
knowledge in English along with any other language have any advantage over the people who do
not have that skill. From the primary data analysis, it is seen that, 48% of the respondents agreed

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and 18% strongly agreed that the organizations give preference to the people who have
proficiency in the English language. It can be said from this observation that, people who have
knowledge in English and some other language as well as who have proficiency in the English
language, are preferred by the organizations during hiring and any other organizational work.
Thus, people who do not have much knowledge in English go into the backfoot due to the
organizational way of working.
5.3 Recommendations
The researcher presents some recommendations on the basis of the data analysis to
address the issues that have been found. Regarding the effectiveness of the English language
proficiency in the implementation of the WSH policies, certain observations have been found
from the data analysis. The recommendations by the researcher will help in eliminating or
reducing those issues.
 52% of the respondents agreed to the idea that the organizations should give basic
English training to the employees so that they could understand the policies well. The
organizations can also function more effectively if they do not have to put extra effort in
translating the policies in different languages. Thus, to educate the employees, coming
with different language proficiencies, the organizations should invest in language
learning programs.
 People have reported that better knowledge in English help them in better understanding
of the policies. However, the management should be cooperative and supportive enough
so that employees can ask them if they fail understand or implement any policies.
 WSH is extremely important in any organization, as that is directly related with the health
and safety issues of not only the employees but all other people associated with the

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organization. Hence, special emphasis should be put on making simple and easily
comprehensible WSH policies, so that, people who do not have proficiency in the English
language, can also understand the policies and act accordingly.
 Majority of the respondents agreed to the question of importance of communication for
the purpose of availing the advantages of WSH policies. Hence, the government must put
effort and investment in improving the standard of education and communication in the
nation, and then only it will be reflected in the organizational level.
5.4 Limitations and future scope of the study
There are a few limitations of this research study. Firstly, the researcher has collected the
primary data only through the questionnaire survey method and has not used the interview
method. Interview provides scope of building a good relationship with the interviewee and also
helps in gathering more detailed information and perspectives about the research topic, which is
not possible with a close ended questionnaire. It is a flexible process, which is time and cost
effective. Secondly, the sample size is taken small to reduce the complexity and robustness of the
study. Small samples have the risk of containing sampling error or fluctuating error and hence
can lead to biased results. Thirdly, the participants were asked only the close ended questions,
with only three questions focusing on the demographics. It was done to lessen the horizon of the
answers. Hence, it can be said that, in the future, the researchers can consider using both open
and close ended questions to get a broader perspective on the research topic. They can also
increase the sample size for obtaining a more precise outcome. The researchers should also
perform qualitative analysis to add a new dimension to the study. Thus, there are some scope for
the future researchers to perform a deeper study and analysis on the related topic that would

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focus on more specific contexts of the language proficiency and its implications on
implementation of the WSH.

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