Occupational Health and Safety Challenges Among Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Contractors in South Africa

Abstract

The study examined the occupational health and safety challenges among SME’s Contractors in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The data in this paper was obtained from secondary sources, which comprised of reliable and related scholarly literature namely: articles, journals, books, etc. from all that a detailed literature review was compiled. Furthermore, the data was obtained from primary sources as well; the questionnaires were dispersed to different companies in the construction industry. From the 70 questionnaires distributed, 42 were brought back and they were all valid and usable. Descriptive statistical analysis was adopted for the study. The research revealed that the challenges faced by SMe’s contractors in South Africa, were lack of skills, experience and education, lack of knowledge of pricing document, effective communication skills, lack of H&S education, poor regular inspections on sites, poor technical skills, the ignorance of regulatory obligation, lack of finance and lack of business skills. The research point out that safety and health of the workers is not negotiable, is all pervasive, increases productivity, and leads to better performance, improve the company image, reduced claims and accidents also reduce lost times spent on injuries and property loss. Emphases on the OHS level of implementation is greatly urged to be implemented non-stop to overcome the challenges facing the SME’s contractors.