A Review of the State of the Art on Health and Safety Management in Ghana

The construction industry plays an important role in contributing to the economy and development worldwide. The state of affairs concerning health and safety in the construction industry needs attention. In most countries, the industry is the second largest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) after agriculture. However, despite the importance of the construction industry for the national economy, the activities in the industry sadly pose serious health and safety risks to workers and users of construction facilities. The study therefore aims to examine the health and safety management practices relating to construction operatives. A comprehensive review was conducted using Scopus, Web of science, Litmaps and Research Rabbit databases to examine the health and safety management practices of construction operatives in the last two decades. Content analysis was conducted using the 17 documents retrieved from the database search. The study identified behaviour and attitude of workers towards safety, communication, training and safety programmes as the main findings. The study provides practical knowledge to construction stakeholders in minimising health and safety risk to construction operatives to ensure sustainability. It will also help the scientific community to know what still needs to be done to further advance knowledge on health and safety management practices.