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IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT ON WORKERS PRODUCTIVITY

ABSTRACT

Employee health and safety is consider to be a major determinants of employee and organizational performance. Today, the matter of work-force health and safety at work is receiving worldwide attention, this is the major reasons why most successful organization take care of his employee health and safety. However, many organization often record high rate of industrial accidents, large-scale absenteeism occasioned by ill health as a result of the neglect of health and safety. This project provides various types of employee health and safety and how it could be implemented for improved organizational performance taken Unilever Nigeria Plc as a case study. Three (3) null hypotheses were postulated to find out if there is no significant relationship between Industrial Safety Management and workers performance; between occupational health and employee’s performance; between health and safety management and protection of company equipments and property. Questions were formulated based on the three hypotheses. A total number of ninety seven (97) copies of closed-ended questionnaire were administered to respondents during the study. Descriptive survey design was adopted in the study. Inferential statistical method of chi-square (X2) was used to test the stated hypotheses with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0). Data analysis was carried out at five percent 0.05 (5%) level of significance. Findings revealed that there is significant relationship between industrial health and safety management and workers’ productivity. The study recommends continuous training/ retraining of health and employees should be committed to safety culture safety personnel and the entire workforce on safe work procedures. Top management and employees should be commitment to safety culture. Monthly safety incentive schemes for all the employees in Unilever Nigeria PLC should be put in place. The study thus concluded that employees’ health and safety is important in promoting employee and organizational safety and improved performance of the company.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Industrialisation has been the engine of growth for most developing countries like Nigeria and because of that many successive governments strive to find ways and means for developing their industrial sector. The influence of an enduring employee’s safety on organisational productivity and loss control in the Nigerian construction industry cannot be over emphasized, especially in the areas of setting minimum safety management standards, safe work procedures and environmental management standards (Lourandos, 2008). It is assumed that an organization’s employees safety measures have a direct relationship with employees’ productivity in view of the fact that assigned tasks can only be safely accomplished when the work environment is safe and conducive for the execution of the assigned duties, be it construction, manufacturing or servicing, thus, any phenomenon that affects human production capacity will invariably affect organizational productivity hence improving workers wellbeing offers a company the opportunity of enhancing its performance (Galliker, 2000). Apart from the need to reduce or eliminate accidents, construction companies should inculcate safety measure in their workforce in order to satisfy legal, social, and moral obligations of the host community. Dorman (2000) argues that for companies to provide effective improvement of health, safety and environment conditions, the costs of ill-health/accidents must be economic, internal, variable and visible. Court (2003), in his contribution to corporate employees safety management sees the subject of safety as needed in every industry, he further argues that creating better work environment and preventing harm from work are the key means of improving productivity. Today, the matter of work-force safety at work is receiving worldwide attention. And Nigeria cannot be left out.

There is a high rate of industrial accidents and large-scale absenteeism occasioned by ill health (Kohn and Mark 1996). Some jobs are very hazardous and the common law requires every employer of labour to ensure that the work-force is safe and that employees doing hazardous work are protected adequately. In that case, safety at work must be pursued as a means of enhancing efficiency and quality of performance (Eze, 2006). Hence, providing working conditions that promote the safety of employees is therefore becoming a major management concern. Barriers are introduced in the form of guards, clothing, protected areas and the like. Perhaps, equally important, reducing the accident potential of a work environment tends to increase the feelings of security and reducing anxiety levels. This in itself makes people less likely to have accidents because they are no longer distracted by their anxieties. Companies also use publicity campaigns, involving various personnel communication media and contests to promote safety (Cole, 1993). Contests typically provide financial reward to members of groups with low accident rates. The focus of these contests and the measures employed can vary considerably, but the essential ingredient is the idea that it pays to be safe. The influence of an enduring employee’s safety management on organisational productivity and loss control in the Nigerian industrial clime cannot be over emphasized. Hence, this research study investigated the impact of industrial health and safety management on workers’ productivity with special reference to Unilever Nig. PLC.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In today’s workplace, whether it is on a plantation,in an office, factory, institutions, etc. everyworker across the globe is faced with a multitudeof health hazards such as dusts, gases,noise, vibration and extreme temperatures. Thisinvariably results to absenteeismtriggered by ill-health. Unfortunatelysome employers assume little responsibility forthe protection of workers’ health and safety. It is noteworthy that the right to life is fundamental and most be considered sacrosanct. Yet every year 2.2 million men and women are deprived of that right by occupational accidents and work related diseases (ILO, 2011). By conservative estimates workers suffer 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million occupational diseases each year (ILO, 2011). This is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg, as data for estimating nonfatal illness and injury are not available in most developing countries. Occupational injuries alone account for more than 10 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost, or healthy years of life lost whether to disability or premature death, and 8% of unintentional injuries worldwide (ILO, 2011).

The consequences of construction incidents (accidents, ill-health and environmental pollution) on workers’ productivity are so grave that construction companies should be legally, morally and socially compelled to inculcate safety measures in their workforce. Construction incidents especially those involving lost time injuries (LTI) and lost workdays (LWD) usually lead to shop closure for incident investigation and reporting. This situation results in loss of man-hours, output, reputation and low workers morale. It is on this backdrop that this study was carried to investigate the impact of industrial health and safety management on worker’s productivity.

1.3   OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

The major objective of this study is to examine The Impact of Industrial Health and Safety Management on Workers Productivity. Other specific objectives of this study are to:

1. To determine different type of health and safety method essential for organizational improved performance.

2. To find out effect of health and safety management on employee performance.

3. To examine the effect of health and safety management on organizational performance.

4. To find out the effect of health and safety management on organizational equipment and property.

5. To determine the effect of health and safety management on employee lives and wellbeing.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

This research work shall be guided by the following research questions:

1. Is there any significant relationship between industrial health and safety management and workers’ productivity?

2. Is there any significant relationship between health and safety management and employee performance?

3. What is the effect of health and safety management on organizational performance?

4. What is the effect of health and safety management on organizational equipment and property?

1.5   RESEARCH HYPOTHESES:

The under mentioned hypotheses will be tested in the course of the research study at 5% level of significance.

Hypotheses 1:

Ho: There is no significant relationship between industrial health and safety     management and workers’ performance.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between industrial health and safety management and workers’ performance.

Hypotheses 2:

Ho: There is no significant relationship between Occupational health and employee’s performance.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between Occupational health and  employee’s performance

Hypotheses 3:

Ho: There is no significant relationship between health and safety management and  protection of employee lives and wellbeing.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between health and safety management and  protection of employee lives and wellbeing.

Hypotheses 4:

Ho: There is no significant relationship between health and safety management and  protection of company equipment and property.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between health and safety management and  protection of company equipment and property.

Hypotheses 5:

Ho: There is no significant relationship between total safety management  and  organizational performance.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between total safety management and organizational performance.

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