Assessing the influence of personal protective equipment on performance of construction workers in Uganda.

Abstract

The Construction Industry in both developed and developing countries is often criticized for its low levels of performance indicated by the cost, time, quality and safety. Studies reveal that there is a low consideration of personal health and safety through use of Personal Protective Equipment, of the human labor on construction sites which is a significant factor of production especially in developing countries like Uganda. This could have an effect on the work performance in one way or another. This research study was therefore conducted to assess the influence of Personal Protective Equipment on the performance of construction workers in Uganda. Relevant literature review, survey questionnaires, observations and some interviews were used in order to evaluate the health and safety performance on the different sites and how the actual PPE provided influences the work performance in terms of time and productivity. It was found that PPE actually influences work performance. In the study, most of the workers revealed that higher levels of confidence against risks at work while some of them informed that they are limited in their work by some PPE. The findings of this research can be used by employers to increase on workers’ awareness of PPE and its importance, ensure availability and strict enforcement of use of basic PPE at work for personal safety in order to improve on work performance.