Global safety charity, Lloyd’s Register Foundation, has awarded £300,000 to the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) to improve safety in the construction industry in Kenya. The initiative will deliver a capacity development programme that enhances safety skills amongst engineering students, professionals and construction workers in Kenya.
The project, titled Programme for Enhancement of Safety Skills for Engineers and Practitioners in the Construction Industry in Kenya, will support the development of curricula, courses and monitoring tools. Practitioners and workers will then have the capacity, capability and understanding to identify and address risks to safety on construction sites around the country.
Tim Slingsby, Director of Skills and Education at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “Occupational accident data in the global construction industry indicates the safety gap between developing economies and the developed world is increasing. To meet the demands of a growing population and rapid urbanisation , it’s crucial that construction workers have the appropriate training to address safety challenges and mitigate risk in their local context.”
“This exciting new partnership with the expertise and knowledge of the Engineers Board of Kenya will be key in driving safer engineering and skills for safety within Kenya’s construction industry.”
Data from 2017 reveals that Kenya experiences a large number of fatalities in the construction industry, with an estimated 64 deaths per 100,000 workers. The Engineers Board of Kenya attributes this relatively poor safety record can be attributed to a variety of factors, including weak safety culture, lack of training and resources for recruits, and ineffective operational procedures on site.
These factors are exacerbated by inadequate investment in occupational health and safety, with studies estimating that the majority of construction companies in Nairobi allocate less than 1% of budget to health and safety requirements.
This new partnership aims to address these issues at source. Collaborating with their professional and academic network, the Engineers Board of Kenya will deliver three targeted work packages focussed on analysing and identifying gaps in construction training, industry and policy. Findings from this phase will inform the content for a suite of resources – including a new curriculum for apprentices and improved training for practitioners – that will improve safety consciousness amongst Kenyan engineers and construction workers.
Margaret Ogai, Chief Executive Officer of the Engineers Board of Kenya, said: “The Engineers Board of Kenya is deeply committed to ensuring that engineers and construction workers are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to create a safer working environment. This partnership with Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a significant milestone in our efforts to enhance safety culture in Kenya’s construction industry. By developing targeted training, robust safety monitoring tools, and clear policy frameworks, we will drive real change and reduce accidents in construction sites across the country.”
The Engineers Board of Kenya is the statutory body responsible for engineering regulation, training and practice in Kenya. Its role is to ensure that professional engineering services are safe, efficient and effective for the delivery of critical infrastructure nationwide. Its credibility amongst technical institutions, universities and industrial partners ensures this funding will make a real impact on accidents and incidents within the construction industry.
Following successful implementation in Kenya, there is scope for the programme to scale up activities throughout East Africa, sharing learnings with key stakeholders and supporting the adoption of engineering best practices in neighbouring Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.