An investigation into public and private clients' attitudes, commitment and impact on construction health and safety in Nigeria

Purpose This purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study that assessed the attitudes, commitment and impact of public and private sector clients' involvement in construction health and safety (H&S) in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Structured questionnaires were designed based on literature review and a pilot study, and administered to public and private clients in Nigeria's construction industry. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyse the data. Findings The result shows that while clients' attitudes towards H&S are not encouraging, public clients commitment and attitudes are better than that of private clients. This is emphasised by the significant difference between the categories of clients and: accident investigation; clients auditing contractors H&S records at the preconstruction stage. The common client H&S practice includes conducting site visits and inspections and attending H&S meetings, while engaging in H&S awareness and H&S audit during construction are not common. However, when clients are involved in H&S, it has resulted in a reduction in accidents, compensation claims, rework and improved the relationship between clients and contractors. Practical implications The findings form a basis for improving client involvement in H&S (factoring in the differences in clients) which policymakers, the construction industry and academics will find beneficial. Originality/value The study contributes to understanding the attitudes and commitment of public and private clients in H&S, evidencing the implications of the differences in their needs, characteristics and behaviours. While the study is the first to investigate the area in Nigeria, it also extends the knowledge of the discourse comparatively in broader terms.