Occupational stress and site workers’ wellbeing: A case study of Ghana

Stress and its effect on workers’ wellbeing are a concept that is well-documented in the academic sphere. The construction industry is no different and may even possess a slightly higher problem due to its macho culture. Site operatives such as skilled tradesmen often fall under the hard-to-reach category and tend to be missed out on many investigations. This could be as a result of the transient nature of their roles and time of site. Construction site workers are exposed to excessive job demands and this increases the risk of prolonged stress which adversely affects their wellbeing. Unfortunately, very little research and documented guide exists in the case of many developing economies particularly Ghana. This research aimed to investigate the elements of occupational stress that affect the wellbeing of site workers in Accra, Ghana. 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with site workers. This was followed up with two focus group sessions. Some key themes that emerged were task-related stressors, work environment stressors and overall organisational stressors. It was identified that most stressors affected the workers’ physical, social and psychological wellbeing. It was a common perception that the wellbeing of Ghanaian construction site workers needed to improve significantly. The identified stressors were widely agreed to affect the workers’ productivity; a vital point that employers failed to pay attention to. This research offers some important recommendations based on relevant literature and respondents’ views to aid in the improvement of site workers’ wellbeing in Ghana and possibly countries bearing similarities in construction project practices.