An Investigation Into The Safety Performance Of Public Buildings In Relation To Compliance Of Fire Safety Regulations: A Case Study Of Ashanti And Greater Accra Regions Of Ghana

Abstract

Ghana has experienced various forms of fire outbreaks emanating from domestic buildings, public buildings, industrial activities, and forests. It has become almost impossible to end a year in Ghana without recording incident of fire outbreaks that result in the deaths of individuals and loss of property. This study therefore aims at investigating the safety performance of public buildings concerning compliance with fire safety regulations in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions of Ghana. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The targeted population consisted of housemasters in public Senior High Schools and fueling station managers in Accra and Kumasi. Convenient and purposive sampling techniques were employed in selecting 72 housemasters and 384 filling station managers, and a questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. The study found that the occupants of public buildings in Ashanti and the Greater Accra Region do not comply with safety regulations. It was also revealed that fire has caused many negative effects in Ghana from an economic perspective, population, safety, and security. A positive and significant relationship was found between compliance with fire safety regulation and safety performance of the public building (F=127.293, df=308, p<0.01). It was recommended that building owners should ensure that their buildings are well equipped with active and passive firefighting equipment. Also, training on fire safety, first aid, use of firefighting equipment, and evacuation procedure should be made compulsory for all building occupants and at regular intervals. This implies that compulsory compliance of fire safety regulation will give a positive effect on public building structures in performing their required purposes.