Driving safety performance in the construction industry through safety induction and training - as a leading measure

Employee training and development in the construction industry is key to ensuring safety performance, also as a means of creating both competence and growth for employees working in the sector. In developing employees, management will be able to assess their employee's performance, develop their skills towards being a productive workforce. Management at all levels need to be able to coach and counsel employees towards desired outcomes in order to prevent injuries and accidents in the workplace. By nature, the construction involves high risks, therefore employees need to be enagaged on all levels and hence need training that is designed to correct observed eficiencies in employee knowledge, skill, and attitudes. Although training alone cannot gaurantee that the workplace will be risk and injury free, it can guide employees towards safe behaviours that can become more consistent and desirable. The importance of health and safety training cannot overlooked, especially when times are tough, simply because the cost of inadequate safety training could be catastrophic to construction companies from small contractors to global corporations. High performing organisations boast in their development of their "people" through training, performance management and recruitment. For a sound safety culture within the organisation, training has to be tailored to challenges faced at each level of the organisation.-The study focuses on the benefits of training and development in the construction industry.