AN INVESTIGATION OF AWARENESS LEVEL OF THE CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEES ON OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

Abstract

Occupational safety is an essential element in the prevention of occupational accidents, but more importantly, employees should be aware of the necessity of occupational safety and must avoid dangerous movements that can cause accidents. The safe behavior of employees can be considered as the most important factor in preventing occupational accidents, especially in the construction industry where work place accidents are very common. Working conditions in the construction sector have been changing because of rapid development of technology. Also, demand for different construction types has been increasing. The most difficult task is undertaken by workers to meet this increased demand. Working conditions have become inharmonious because of the need to meet the demand and the construction with the costumer and also the difference between the working areas. This situation brings about the employees are treated like machines and forced to work in hazardous areas. The most common reasons of accidents in this sector are mainly the various dangers arise from the structural features of the sector, lack of knowledge about the conditions of occupational health and safety, not to change the standard working style and the desire of employers to make more profit. The aim of occupational safety in this sector is to diminish the level of the workplace accidents and to make workers conscious of the issue consequently transforming their safety attitudes to a culture. The aim of this paper is to investigate the opinions of workers in construction areas on occupational health and safety. For this purpose, a questionnaire is conducted and applied in various construction sites in Niğde. The obtained results are thoroughly analyzed by SPSS 24 packet programme.