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Stakeholder perceptions of the benefits and barriers of implementing environmental management systems in the Nigerian construction industry

Owolana, Victoria O.; Booth, Colin A.

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Authors

Victoria O. Owolana

Profile image of Colin Booth

Colin Booth Colin.Booth@uwe.ac.uk
Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructures



Abstract

© 2016 Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) Press. This study investigates stakeholder opinions of the major benefits and barriers of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to the Nigerian construction industry, and the perceived issues to EMS adoption among organisations in the industry. The study highlights the environment as an important stakeholder in the industry because it affects and is affected by construction activities on a regular basis. It identifies the importance of ISO 14001 in ensuring adequate consideration for the environment is maintained on construction projects. The research adopts a quantitative approach by analysing responses from an online survey among construction industry professionals in Nigeria. The questions on the survey were drawn from a similar study carried out in Asia and the results were analysed using the Weighted Average and Standard Deviation statistical approach. Results reveal that the major benefits of EMS to the Nigerian construction industry were improved efficiency in waste management and environmental protection, as well as an overall increase in employee motivation due to better opportunities for training and development. Lack of technological support in organisations and the high cost of implementing EMS were viewed as the major barriers towards its uptake in construction companies. The findings also indicate that a feasible EMS implementation strategy must not ignore the unique nature of the Nigerian construction industry, which comprises mostly small and medium enterprises. The study concludes by recommending the use of a waste management plan based on the Reuse-Reduce-Recycle-Recover model and an employee training plan to ensure continuous improvement in the organisation’s environmental management strategy.

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 30, 2015
Publication Date Apr 2, 2016
Deposit Date Feb 8, 2019
Publicly Available Date Feb 22, 2019
Journal Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management
Print ISSN 1648-6897
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 24
Issue 2
Pages 79-89
DOI https://doi.org/10.3846/16486897.2015.1127251
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/802742
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/16486897.2015.1127251
Additional Information Additional Information : This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published version is available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/16486897.2015.1127251.
Contract Date Feb 8, 2019

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