Occupational Safety and Health Issues on Road Construction Sites in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study from Uganda

The road construction industry in Uganda has been boosted in recent years in an effort to foster economic development. Safety practices within the industry, however, leave a lot to be desired and this exposes workers to unnecessary occupational risks. This paper presents research findings on various safety aspects pertaining to interaction of traffic with workers, material handling, and plant and equipment used on road construction sites, and the risks these pose to workers. Various accidents and injuries that occur on road construction sites have been studied and remedial measures have been proposed. Conclusions that were drawn point towards proper work zone layouts, fairly good traffic management on the sites, good condition of plant and equipment and regular provision of first aid on the one hand; and inadequate usage of personal protective equipment, poor state of hygiene, insufficient training and inefficient safety committees on the other. As recommendations, traffic management should be emphasized, with the provision of personal protective equipment, observation of hygiene and emphasis of safety at tendering stage.