Assessment of Safety Practices and Their Cost Implications on Construction Sites in Enugu State

Occupational health and safety practices on Nigerian construction sites are frequently inadequate, with direct cost implications for project budgets, insurance premiums, and contractor liability. This study assesses the level of safety practice compliance and its cost implications on construction sites in Enugu State, targeting residential and institutional building projects. A quantitative approach was adopted, with structured questionnaires administered to 80 site-based professionals including safety officers, quantity surveyors, and site engineers across 25 active construction sites in Enugu Urban. Data were analysed using frequency distributions, mean item scores, and Pearson correlation. Findings show that only 32% of surveyed sites maintain formal safety management plans, and expenditure on personal protective equipment averages less than 1.5% of project value, well below recommended thresholds. Accidents attributable to inadequate safety measures were found to add an average of 3.8% to total project costs through delays, replacement labour, and legal costs. The study recommends that quantity surveyors include explicit provisional sums for safety management in bills of quantities, and that the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria enforce stricter site safety audits. Findings align with recent calls for reform of occupational safety legislation in Nigeria's construction industry. Improving safety investment is shown to generate long-term cost savings that outweigh initial expenditures. Keywords: construction safety, cost implications, Enugu State, site management, bills of quantities