Framework to improve the safety of university student housing facilities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

In the recent time, knowledge of Facility Management (FM) has been found useful in academic settings. FM principles are now applied to ensure the appropriate management of facilities. FM can be applied to all forms of facilities, including educational facilities such as student housing facilities (SHFs). The provision of a safe SHF is very important as shelters form a significant part of man’s environment, including in higher learning institutions. However, studies reveal that safety and security measures are not given the necessary attention in tertiary institutions – particularly SHFs. The consequences of neglecting the aspect of safety and security in universities in South Africa has exposed students to several risks and hazards such as increase rate of accidents, theft, fire outbreaks, sexual harassment, and fatalities on campuses. Thus, the need to consider safety and security issues in the management of SHFs in universities in South Africa is paramount. This research aims to develop a framework to improve the safety of university SHFs in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. A mixed research method was used for the study. A case study approach was adopted where two universities were selected. Interviews, questionnaire surveys and observation were used to collect the primary data. A total of 460 questionnaires were administered to students living in on-campus SHFs which directly belong to the universities. Only 400 questionnaires were returned from both universities. However, 62 of the returned questionnaires were not fully completed. In essence, a total of 338 questionnaires were properly completed. Statistics package SPSS version 25 was used to execute the analysis of the data collected, where both descriptive and inferential statistics were carefully implemented to analyse the data collected accordingly. Observations were also carried out to validate the results. The reliability of the variables and the scale questions were tested with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The major findings are centered on the provision and level of importance of security measures, fire safety measures, traffic safety measures, building safety measures and general safety measures in the SHFs. In addition, the findings include the risk associated with the absence of these measures, as well as students’ satisfaction level with the performance of the above-mentioned measures in the on-campus university SHFs. The findings indicated a significant difference in the level of provision of security measures and fire safety measures between the two universities. Similarly, a significant difference exists in students’ satisfaction level with performance/functionality of different safety and security measures provided in the on-campus SHFs between the two universities. The mean score (MS) differences between the security measures and fire safety measures are quite high, whilst the MS differences between traffic safety measures, building safety measures, and general safety measures are comparatively low. The major issues of concern at university A were; non-functionality of the CCTV, lack of weapon detectors, lack of access control with functional smart card in some residences and inadequate provision of light at night. The lapses at university B include; lack of weapon detectors, inadequate provision of CCTV in the SHFs and around the campus and lack of access control with functional smart card in some residences. Issues of concern across both universities are; inadequate provision/non-functionality of the CCTV, lack of weapon detectors, and absence of electronic coded locks on the doors at the hostels. The findings further revealed that students across both universities ranked all the variables/measures adopted in this study as important and/or extremely important in the SHFs. Likewise, the majority of students across both universities acknowledged that the absence of these measures poses a very high risk to their safety in the on-campus SHFs. Thus, this indicates the need to ensure the appropriate management of the security and safety measures of the on-campus SHFs across both universities. It is essential because peaceful living and effective learning can only take place in a safe and secured environment. The scope of the study is limited to 2 universities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.