Training Key to Workers' Safety at Construction Sites

While regulatory bodies such as the National Construction Authority (NCA) have standards to ensure that only qualified and registered professionals such as architects, engineers and contractors take part in construction, little attention is given to middle-level workers and artisans who constitute the bulk of the workforce in the construction industry.

The conventional way of hiring such workers at construction sites in Kenya is based solely on what impression the foreman has of a person's capabilities. So what happens is that a group of job-seeking young men and women present themselves at a construction site in the morning, and the foreman decides, usually on the basis of a person's physical build, and who among them will join his or her team for the day.

Training of workers leads to quality workmanship, which means very few injuries and fewer lives are likely to be lost if any as a result of buildings collapsing as construction is underway.

The health and safety of workers and those within a construction site is a very key issue. Training creates awareness of how to be safe while working at a construction site, not just for the workers, but also for all other people working within the construction sites.

The contractor should provide a safe working environment, and with training the employee is aware of the importance of wearing safety gear such as a helmet, a dust mask or a reflector jacket hence this  mitigates the effects of accidents.