Why Does an Indian Construction Worker Fail to Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Workplace?

Abstract

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an essential control measure used in developing countries to protect workers from hazards and risks in the construction industry. The purpose of PPE is to reduce workers’ exposure to the environment. From the literature, it was noted that a worker not wearing the provided PPE or the absence of PPE at the workplace leads to the cause of accidents in construction every year. The purpose of this study is to examine why workers fail to wear PPE on Indian construction sites. A structured questionnaire-based study was carried out among workers of the construction industry to collect data. The factors that influence the workers not to wear PPE in the workplace were analyzed and represented graphically under the following three sections (i) design-related aspects; (ii) management-related factors; and (iii) human-related factors based on the workers’ job and their age group. This study revealed that most workers understand the importance of PPE and want them to protect themselves from accidents/injuries. However, there is a need to address the issue concerning PPE on construction sites. This study's outcome can be used for effective use of PPE among all workers at the Indian construction site and enhance health and safety. Further involvement in promoting the use of PPE should be focused on the availability of PPE, job duration, and presence of shift work.