Awareness and adoption of wearable technologies for health and safety management in the Nigerian construction industry

Introduction

The construction industry in every country plays a key role towards economic development. It provides the necessary facilities and infrastructure needed for other sectors’ development. The construction industry contributes to about 7% of the global job creation and 10% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Djokoto et al., 2014). With specific reference to Nigeria, Ogunsanya et al. (2019) indicated that the construction industry contributes to the economy by employing over 6 million people. Moreover, Abubakar et al. (2018) revealed that the construction sector makes a 3.8% contribution to the Nigerian GDP. Notwithstanding the significant contributions to employment and the GDP of a country, the construction industry’s health and safety (H&S) outlook is generally negative. For example, ILO (2017) revealed that the construction industry accounts for about one-sixth of the 313 million global annual injuries. Several studies conducted across the globe highlight the inherent risk and negative outlook of the construction industry (e.g. Legg et al., 2015; Okoro et al., 2022; Maiti and Choi, 2019). This situation is not different in Nigeria. For example, Umeokafor (2020) revealed that effective implementation of H&S legislation, standards and measures is lacking in Nigeria. Other studies conducted by Kukoyi and Smallwood (2017), Ibrahim et al. (2018) and Umeokafor (2020) provide evidence of construction H&S management challenges/lapses in Nigeria.

The nature of construction and the activities involved such as manual handling (e.g. lifting weights), material handling (e.g. working with dangerous materials and pollutants), working around plants, working at height and working in/with awkward postures make construction hazardous and risky (Antwi-Afari et al., 2017; Haslam et al., 2005; Dutta et al., 2020). Apart from the nature of work, several other factors such as suitability and condition of materials, shortcomings with equipment and tools, and workplace issues also contribute to construction H&S problems (Haslam et al., 2005). Moreover, insufficient supervision, H&S management inadequacy, and poor H&S training contribute to construction H&S problems (CIDB, 2009). To mitigate the negative outlook of construction and the level of accidents on site, effective measures need to be implemented. Pollitt (2006) is of the opinion that instituting effective training and awareness creation systems can help improve H&S management on site. Furtherance to awareness creation among contractors and employees, Vitharana et al. (2015) revealed that educating workers on risk factors and risk prevention can also help to improve safety on site. Moreover, the application/adoption of technologies could help to mitigate these H&S challenges. Notwithstanding, the majority of studies on construction H&S have focused on policy, management approaches, and human and cultural aspects of safety (Williams et al., 2020), with less attention on the application of technologies in H&S management (Awolusi et al., 2018). In the African context, little research has been carried out on the application of technologies for H&S management. To buttress, Aghimien et al. (2019) indicated that countries in Africa have less research focus on the application of digital technologies in the construction industry. The few studies conducted in Africa include Afolabi et al. (2019), Moshood et al. (2020), Oke and Arowoiya (2021), Agyekum et al. (2022) and Ejidike et al. (2022). Wearable safety devices, geographic information systems, sensing technologies, virtual reality and BIM are the main technologies currently adopted for H&S management in Africa (Agyekum et al., 2022). This demonstrates that wearable devices are one of the important H&S technologies adopted in the construction industry. With regard to wearable devices, there is no evidence of studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa to determine the extent of their adoption for H&S management. The study of Afolabi et al. (2019) focused on e-Procurement technologies in Nigeria whilst Moshood et al. (2020) determined, “barriers and benefits of ICT adoption in the Nigerian construction industry: A comprehensive literature review”. Moreover, the focus of Oke and Arowoiya’s study was on augmented reality technology in the construction industry (Oke and Arowoiya, 2021). It is on this premise that this paper seeks to investigate the level of awareness and adoption of wearable technology for H&S management in the Nigerian construction industry.

Research methodology

This study sought to analyse the level of awareness and adoption of wearable technology for H&S management in the Nigerian construction industry. In doing so, deductive reasoning was adopted. This approach enables researchers to move from a generally accepted theory to a specific conclusion (Babbie, 2013). The majority of positivist studies are quantitative in nature. Positivists argue that objective, observable and verifiable facts are the only means of understanding and explaining a phenomenon. In line with the philosophy and approach, quantitative data was collected. Therefore, a quantitative approach using a positivist viewpoint was adopted for this study.

The research population comprised active construction industry professionals – e.g. Architects, Builders, Engineers, H&S officers and Quantity Surveyors – employed by government agencies, consultancy firms and grade A contracting firms. Sampling is the process of selecting a subset of a population to represent the entire population of interest. Accordingly, sampling helps to extract acceptable respondents to represent the larger population from whom data is collected (Welman et al., 2005). Probability and non-probability are the two main methods of sampling. Purposive sampling, a type of non-probability sampling technique, was adopted. Purposive sampling enables the researcher to identify people who have the knowledge or experience to take part in a study. Construction organisations are classified into into grades A, B, C and D based on the organisations’ capacity to execute projects. Category D are firms with the capacity to bid for projects between N250m and N1bn. Wearable safety technologies are relatively new to developing countries; consequently, only big construction firms (i.e. grade D), government agencies and consultancy firms were targeted for the study. These categories of firms were selected because they have the financial strength and resources to invest in technologies. Thus, only construction professionals working in government agencies, consultancy firms and grade D firms in Nigeria (i.e. Lagos and Abuja) were included in the study. For data collection, an electronic questionnaire format was used, where a survey link was generated and sent to multiple construction professionals’ social media platforms. The survey was open from 15 May 2022 through 4 September 2022. A total of 120 questionnaires were received; however, 12 were not fully completed. Therefore, 108 representing 90% were used for the analysis.

The questionnaire was divided into three sections: demographics, awareness and adoption. The awareness section of the questionnaire was captured on a 4-point Likert scale where 1 = not aware; 2 = slightly aware; 3 = somewhat aware and 4 = aware, whilst the questions for the adoption were captured on a 5-point Likert scale where 1 = never; 2 = rarely; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often and 5 = always. A Mean Score (MS) value range was determined to ensure consistent classification and interpretations. For the 4-point scale, 1 was subtracted from 4 which equals 3, after that, the 3 was divided by 4 equalling 0.75 which becomes the MS range. Consequently, the MS range for “not aware” becomes >1.00 ≤ 1.75; “slightly aware” becomes >1.75 ≤ 2.50; “somewhat aware” becomes >2.50 ≤ 3.25 and “aware” becomes >3.25 ≤ 4.00. With regard to the 5-point scale, 1 was subtracted from 5 which equals 4, after that, the 4 was divided by 5 equalling 0.8 which becomes the MS range. Consequently, the MS range for “never” becomes >1.00 ≤ 1.80; “rarely” becomes >1.80 ≤ 2.60; “sometimes” becomes >2.60 ≤ 3.40; “often” becomes >3.40 ≤ 4.20 and “always” becomes >4.20 ≤ 5.00. This approach was also adopted by Adebowale (2018) and Simpeh and Adisa (2021).

Before data gathering, the research questionnaire was vetted by senior industry practitioners. The feedback received helped to improve the questionnaire. To ensure the reliability of the research, the questionnaire was tested with Cronbach’s alpha value. Ursachi et al. (2015) clarified that whilst a value of 0.8 or greater Cronbach’s alpha value is considered very good, a value of 0.6–0.7 indicates an acceptable level of reliability. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient value obtained for the awareness was 0.843 whereas 0.959 was obtained for the adoption. This demonstrates that the questions on the questionnaire were reliable.

Both descriptive (i.e. Mean Score) and inferential (Kruskal–Wallis test) statistics were used to analyse the data. The MS helped to present the data in a meaningful and understandable way, thereby simplifying the interpretation of the data. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to measure/determine whether there are significant differences in the responses obtained from the different employer type. The p-values were set at 5% (p < 0.05), this implies that there is a significant difference in the responses from the different employer type if the value is below 0.05.

Analysis and discussion

Discussion and implications

The MS range obtained reveals that the awareness level of the wearable devices for H&S management was in three categories – “aware”, “somewhat aware” and “slightly aware”. Two technologies (i.e. Smartwatch and Wearable camera) were classified as “aware”, 3 technologies (i.e. Dust sensor, Rain sensor and Sensor incorporated into footwear) as “slightly aware”, and 6 technologies (Sensor-equipped safety vest, Smart eyewear, Sensor-equipped safety helmet, Smart bracelet/band, Fitness tracker, Wearable camera and Wearable medical device) as “somewhat aware”. With the exception of Smartwatch and Wearable camera which received high awareness rating, respondents were not fully aware of all the other technologies. Straub (2009) believes that a 100% awareness rate is needed to promote adoption. Unfortunately, the findings reveal that professionals in the Nigerian construction industry have just a moderate awareness level of wearable devices for H&S management. The findings collaborate with the studies of Aghimien et al. (2019) and Akinlolu et al. (2020), who revealed that the awareness of technologies in the construction industry is low in Africa. Moreover, the result is consistent with the finding of Okoro et al. (2022) who opined that there is low awareness with regard to technologies that could enhance H&S practices in South Africa. From the Nigerian point of view, Umeokafor (2018) revealed that H&S studies conducted in Nigeria focus less on technology. Similarly, Afolabi et al. (2019) and Moshood et al. (2020) also found that the level of awareness of the benefits associated with the adoption of technology in the Nigerian construction industry is low.

This implies that continuous awareness creation and education on the emerging trends in H&S management and the advantages/benefits of adopting innovative technologies in H&S management is paramount. Pollitt (2006) posited that effective training and awareness creation systems help to improve H&S management on site. There is a need for construction firms, particularly the big firms, government agencies and consultancy firms to make conscious efforts by setting up a research unit within their firms and/or partnering with research and higher learning institutions to engage in innovative/technological researches. The government and other construction industry stakeholders also have a responsibility to provide financial support to promote research into these areas and further use their platforms to disseminate the findings of such studies. Seminars, special conferences and sensitisation drives should also be organised by construction industry stakeholders to drive this agenda. By so doing, construction firms and the construction industry professionals will become aware and will be willing to accept and adopt these technologies.

With regard to the adoption, all 11 technologies were perceived as “rarely adopted”. This finding correlates with those of Akram et al. (2019) and Akinlolu et al. (2020). Arabshahi et al. (2022) similarly found that technological devices are rarely adopted in the construction industry. Another study conducted by Agyekum et al. (2022) demonstrates that the adoption level of technologies in sub-Saharan Africa is very low. With specific reference to wearable devices, Nnaji et al. (2021) revealed that not all the common wearable devices are adopted for H&S risk mitigation in the United States of America. Studies suggest that countries from Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia are the most technologically innovative in the world (Martınez-Aires et al., 2018; Institute of Management, 2018). Therefore, the findings are not particularly surprising because the general uptake and application of technologies in most of the countries on the African continent is low. With specific references to the Nigerian construction industry, Ejidike et al. (2022) revealed that construction firms and professionals in Nigeria rarely adopt technologies.

This implies that after awareness is created, the construction firms, government agencies and consultancy firms have a responsibility to promote the acceptance of these new technologies and develop an organisational culture that embraces change. Moreover, organisations must devise strategies to break the resistance to change. This is crucial because adoption can only thrive if firms develop a culture that embraces change. The number of H&S professionals who responded to the questionnaire is quite low. This implies that the construction industry must put in more effort to promote H&S as a profession in the country.

Conclusion

Organisations have become aware of the important role technologies play in promoting the efficiency of activities. Several technologies such as building information modelling, automation and robotics have been adopted by construction firms to enhance productivity. Wearable technologies are now adopted to enhance construction H&S management. The study reported in this paper investigated the level of awareness and adoption of wearable technology for H&S management in the Nigerian (Abuja and Lagos) construction industry. The findings reveal that all 11 variables were perceived as “rarely adopted”, whereas 2 variables were perceived as “aware”, 3 variables as “slightly aware” and the remaining 6 variables as “somewhat aware”. Although some variables recorded significant differences, the differences recorded were not important since all those variables were either rated as “rarely” or “never” adopted by all the three employer types. It is, therefore, concluded that organisations “rarely” use wearable devices for H&S management although professionals within the construction industry are somewhat aware of the common H&S wearable devices. Only construction professionals working in government agencies, consultancy firms, and grade D contracting firms in Lagos and Abuja were used in this study; therefore, the findings of the study may not be generalised beyond this group. A study that expands the number of participating firms is, thus, recommended. The adoption level recorded is very low; therefore, it is recommended that construction/consultancy firms and government agencies commit more financial resources to promote the acceptance and procure these devices to promote H&S management on construction sites. All stakeholders in the construction industry have a responsibility to campaign for the adoption of H&S wearable devices by emphasising their importance and benefits. Research on wearable technologies, in developing countries, is very low. Therefore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in this evolving area of research.