Umeokafor, Nnedinma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4010-5806, Umar, Tariq, Che Ibrahim, Che Khairil Izam, Windapo, Abimbola and Evangelinos, Konstantinos I. (2026) Breaking barriers: strategies to prioritise Health and Safety in labour-only contracts. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Management, Procurement and Law. ISSN 1751-4304 (Print), 1751-4312 (Online) (In Press)

Preview

PDF (Author's Accepted Manuscript) 52601 UMEOKAFOR_Breaking_Barriers_Strategies_To_Prioritise_Health_And_Safety_(AAM)_2026.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (336kB) | Preview

Abstract

Early consideration of health and safety (H&S) in procurement is widely recognised as a way to improve construction performance. However, limited empirical research has examined how H&S can be integrated into emerging arrangements such as labour‑only procurement systems (LoPS), particularly in developing countries. This study investigates barriers, opportunities and strategies for embedding H&S in construction projects delivered through LoPS in Nigeria. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 76 construction professionals involved in ongoing or recently completed labour‑only projects across public, private, and commercial sectors in both urban and rural areas. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney U tests to identify barriers, perceived opportunities, workable strategies, and potential contextual differences. The results indicate key opportunities for improving H&S in LoPS, including clients’ cost‑saving motivations and their close involvement in site activities. Effective strategies include using cost–benefit arguments to support H&S investment, encouraging early collaboration among clients, designers, and labour‑only contractors, and incorporating H&S requirements into tendering and early planning. No statistically significant differences were found between urban and rural projects regarding the feasibility of these strategies. The study offers initial empirical evidence on feasible, context‑specific approaches for strengthening H&S in LoPS across varied project settings.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	early consideration, safety in contractual arrangements, labour-only procurement, project performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor T Technology > T Technology (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > School of Engineering (ENG)
Last Modified:	05 Mar 2026 16:30
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/52601

Actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads