An evaluation of Workers welfare facilities and its effects on productivity in the Zambian Construction Industry

Employees play an important role in the industrial production of the country. Therefore, ensuring employees’ well being through provision of welfare facilities is essential in stimulating desired conduct and performance. However, the Zambian construction industry is associated with numerous challenges in the provision of workers’ welfare facilities on work sites. This research adopted a mixed approach with both probabilistic stratified random as well as non-probabilistic purposive sampling used to sample the population. A structured questionnaire and interviews were administered to the site management personnel, skilled and unskilled workers working on various representative construction sites. 142 Contractors registered with National Council for Construction in all grades were sampled and 101 considered.
The research established that the current levels of provision of workers welfare facilities on Zambian construction work sites is low, with most contractors failing to provide appropriate toilet, washing facilities, rest-rooms or shelter, temporary housing, transport to and from place of work, a place to warm up and eat their food from as well as storage facilities for clothing. From the total number of contractors surveyed only 35% had kitchen facilities provided for employees on site while as 21% and 14% had ablution as well as resting facilities respectively.
The research recommends inter alias., that contractors provide appropriate welfare and safety facilities to their employees on construction job site. During tender valuations the contractors’ cost allocated to provision of provision of workers welfare facilities and safety in the bills of quantities should be well defined and evaluated competitively. Further, relevant law enforcing agencies should be proactive in conducting regular site inspections to check on contractors’ compliance with the existing legislations governing safety and workers welfare. Since employees comprise a vital resource in construction industry, the findings are essential to ensuring that enforcing organisations improve their inspections while contractors are aware of what could cause reduced employee morale and productivity on construction site. The study further promotes sustainable work environment