MISSING GAPS IN SAFETY EDUCATION AND PRACTICES: ACADEMIA PERSPECTIVES

In the developing countries, the syndrome of low level of safety practices are common phenomenon among construction firms when trying to achieve speedy delivery of construction projects. Various researchers have established factors causing accidents on project sites under unsafe conditions and behaviour of construction workers. This study examined construction safety education embedded in Architecture, Building Technology and Quantity Surveying curricula in some selected tertiary institutions in South-Western Nigeria. Secondary data were sourced from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) curricula through desk review. The descriptive assessment underscored insufficient knowledge coverage because there is no particular course titled construction health and safety in the construction programs curricula. Also, the three top knowledge areas of the respondents on safety practice were: use of personal protective wears, injury and illness prevention and construction all risk and contractors all risk insurance. This study concluded that lack of depth knowledge on safety education is capable of limiting students' ability to coordinate safety practices, develop Safety Policy when employed in construction industry and as well reduce their employability as Safety Manager. The study therefore recommends that both NUC and NBTE should engage Academic and Industry Partnerships (AIPS), Collaborative Curriculum Designing (CCD) in modifying existing curricula for Architecture, Building Technology and Quantity Surveying programs in Nigerian tertiary institutions that will facilitate better understanding both to planning and managing construction safety rather than applying corrective measures after the havoc has been fully perpetrated.