ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON

WORKER’S OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICE IN

NIGERIA CONSTRUCTION SITE

CHAPTER ONE

1.1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The construction industry is defined as a collection of firms engaged in the development of real

estate, buildings, and private and public infrastructure (Anaman, Osei-Amponsah 2007, and

Zikriyoev, A, 2019).The construction sector, according to Subramina and Lordsonmillar (2014),

is often huge, complex, and distinct from other industries. Construction has a significant impact

on national and social life in any geographical area where it occurs (Ofori, 2011). Workers on

construction sites are exposed to a variety of hazardous working conditions, including dangerous

heights, aquatic terrain, and potentially harmful chemicals. Due to the fact that construction is

made up of a diverse group of individuals from all backgrounds and specialties, each individual's

output determines the level of success to be documented at each construction stage, health and

safety is an unavoidable aspect of the job (Dodo,2014). Occupational health and safety is an

interdisciplinary field that encompasses safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of workers,

as well as anyone who may be harmed directly or indirectly by workplace activities (Kelajaiye,

2013). A construction site is a location where a structure is being constructed or restored

(MacMillan Dictionary, 2017). Because of the disproportionately high accidents and fatalities

that occur on construction sites around the world, the construction industry has earned the

reputation of being a risky or very hazardous industry, according to (Smallwood et al. 2008).
According to the International Labour Organization's International Training Centre, one in every

six fatal workplace accidents occurs on a construction site.

Furthermore, over the years, a number of health and safety rules have been established to

improve occupational health and safety and reduce the number of accidents and unquantifiable

loss of life. Various relevant studies have emphasized the significance of ensuring a safe

workplace because of the intrinsic hazards and risk elements that definitely underpin every work

environment, as well as their detrimental impact on a company's overall performance (Olutuase,

2014). Due to human errors and violations, the construction sector has been characterized as

having the highest occurrence rate of accidents compared to any other industry (Olatunji et al.,

2007; Orji, Nwachukwu and Enebe, 2016). Wearing personal protective equipment, poor

lighting, poor equipment design or workplace arrangement, work stress, extremes of

temperature, inappropriate behavior, and fatigues are all examples of errors that contribute to

accidents. Emotional intelligence encompasses the capacity to use accurate cognitive knowledge

of emotions as well as the ability to use emotions and emotional knowledge to improve thinking

(Mayer, 2004). Being more emotionally aware can help workers become emotionally robust,

which is important for future human reliability and error reduction (Michael and Broad, 2012).

As a result, variable levels of emotional intelligence among workers are a significant element in

determining workers' capacity to adhere to standards (spector et al., 2005), meaning that an

individual's ability to adhere to standards is a function of their emotional intelligence. Violations

include willful errors or purposefully doing the incorrect thing, according to (Health and Safety

Executive, 2014).
1.2. PROBLEM STATEMENT

The need for health and safety on construction sites in Nigeria has arisen as a result of the

hazardous nature of the work; also, it is crucial to note that accidents of any kind are sure to

occur on construction sites, resulting in injuries that are often deadly to site employees (Olawale,

2018). Emotional Intelligence can successfully influence or manage human behavior to achieve

developed occupational health and safety performance and work environment (Ogiska-Bulik,

2005). Existing studies, particularly in the European and Asian regions, have focused on

emotional intelligence and job performance, job satisfaction, and occupational stress. . (Gefen et

al., 2000: Goleman D, 2001: Fang et al., 2006: Ouyang et al., 2014: Kaya & Mehta, 2020: Nasim

& Prasad, 2020). In Nigeria, studies have reported traces of EI studies in relation to health and

safety management practices, worker’s occupational health and safety performances in oil and

gas industry which is widely attributed to various factors affecting performances as well as

construction planning (Okeola, 2009: Theophilus et al., 2017: Olawale, 2018: Augustine et al.,

2019).

However, there has been no study of the relationship between emotional intelligence and health

and safety practices in the Nigerian construction industry. As a result, the focus of this research

will be on determining the relationship between the two concepts.

These studies, on the other hand, did not appraise workers' occupational health and safety

practices at the organizational level. Therefore, the thrust of this research is to assess the

relationship between emotional intelligence and worker’s occupational health and safety practice

in Nigerian Construction Industry.

1.3. NEED FOR RESEARCH

Despite improvements in occupational health and safety due to technological advancements

and the adoption of management systems, accidents continue to occur in the construction
industry. These accidents are often linked to human factors. The emotional intelligence (EI)
of workers, however, has the potential to influence some of the human factors that predispose
to accidents. Methods. Research has shown that the major areas where hazards might develop
in the workplace can be grouped into the physical workplace, the people and the
management. From a physical workplace perspective, mechanical, structural and process
design failures are possible occurrences . From a people perspective, negligence and
carelessness have often been among the key causes of accidents. Most crucial, however, is
the management perspective which deals with the management’s ability to make decisions to
ensure the protection of the health and safety of the workers and their environment. Human
action or behaviour is influenced by numerous factors including emotion, culture, attitude,
authority, ethics, religion, genetics, health, chemical/biological influences, environment,
mood, temperament, personality, motivation, disposition, training and experience. Any lapse
in any one of these factors may result in abnormal human behaviour, which in turn introduces
a human hazard into a process. While the significance of one factor does not necessarily
outweigh the others. Therefore, for the purpose of this research work, emotional intelligence
factors will be the focus of this work.

1.4. AIM AND OBJECTIVES

AIM

The aim of the study is to assess the influence of emotional intelligence on worker’s

occupational health and safety practice in construction site in Kaduna state

OBJECTIVES

 To identify emotional intelligence competences that affect health and safety

practice in construction site in Kaduna state.

 To examine the factors that contribute to emotional intelligence on worker’s

occupational health and safety practice in construction site in Kaduna state.

1.5. SCOPE AND LIMITAION

SCOPE

This research project will cover construction firms within Kaduna metropolis.

LIMITATION

The accuracy of this study will be limited to the instrument used in the collect