Health and safety in construction procurement: a comparative leximetric analysis

Abstract

Despite employing only 7% of the workforce, construction accounts for approximately 20% of workplace fatalities globally, underscoring the critical importance of safety. While integrating health and safety (H&S) into procurement processes is essential for improving outcomes, regulatory frameworks in developing economies remain underexplored. This study employs a comparative leximetric analysis to examine the extent to which H&S requirements are embedded within construction legislation in Nigeria and South Africa. Using a qualitative leximetric approach, which employed a four-dimensional framework comprising legal scope and coverage, H&S requirements, procurement integration, and enforcement mechanisms, legal provisions were systematically coded using standardised criteria. The findings reveal substantial differences in formal regulatory design. South Africa demonstrates a more coherent and integrated legal framework, whereas Nigeria exhibits a fragmented structure with limited integration of H&S into procurement processes. These results highlight critical regulatory gaps, particularly in procurement-stage requirements and enforcement provisions. This has implications for practice and policy by demonstrating that integrating H&S requirements into procurement processes can strengthen regulatory coherence, improve accountability among project stakeholders, and support more effective safety governance in the construction industry. This study provides the first systematic leximetric analysis of H&S integration in construction procurement legislation within an African context.