Assessment of Professional Negligence in the Nigerian Construction Industry

Abstract

Professional negligence involves neglecting professional duty of care as to render the professional responsible for the act, error or  omission of neglect, liable in law to a client or some third party who sustains loss by reason of that neglect. This study investigates the  effects of professional negligence in construction industry, with a view to proffering means of minimizing it. The objective is to identify  the causes of professional negligence in the construction industry; to assess the effect of professional negligence in the construction  industry and to investigate how professional negligence in construction industry can be minimized. A total number of 100 questionnaire  were administered to the professionals in Oyo State which is the study area. The data were analyzed using frequency, Descriptive and  Ranking to check the level of the effects of professional negligence in construction industry. In conclusion the major causes of  professional negligence is inadequately flow of communication, inadequate standard of the company and professional negligence has a  far reaching effect; some of the effects are exposure to high risk, low quality, client dissatisfaction, delay in project delivery, financial loss  and reputation of the industry. It was recommended that adequate flow of information should be put in place and also there should be  mandatory condition that must be obeyed at all times, violation of a rule should be ground for disciplinary action by the professionals  and the site should not be handled by inexperience contractor. The required solution to professional negligence in the construction  industry is Effective professional regulatory monitoring, Monitoring by Regulatory Authority, Site Meeting and Compulsory continuous   professional development.