Assessing occupational safety culture among workers in the printing industry in Kumasi
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Date
2016-08
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Publisher
KNUST
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The industrial sector including the printing industry in Ghana contributes significantly
to the gross national product (GDP) and employment. It is also an industry where
employees are doing tasks that are likely to expose them to equipment, machinery or
chemicals that can be hazardous to health and in turn cause effect on employees.
Although there are some studies on health issues in this industry, not much has been
written on safety culture. Therefore, the study focused on assessing occupational
safety culture among workers in the printing industry in Kumasi. The objectives of the
study were to assess occupational safety culture among workers in the printing
industry, identify various occupational safety practices, identify the factors that
influence occupational safety culture, and find out the challenges associated with
occupational safety practices in the printing industry. A total of 130 respondents were
considered for the study, out of which 100 responses were received representing
76.92% response rate. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The study adopted the
purposive sampling technique in selecting respondents. Pearson correlation and
descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The study showed that the
occupational safety practices in the printing industry in Kumasi mainly ensured that,
proper machine handling procedures were undertaken. The study also showed that
training, employee attitudes, organizational policies on safety, the provision of
adequate preventive measures, and adequate information on safety precautions,
adequate guarding and safe interventions on machine works, management
commitment to safety, constant communication about emergency exit procedures
influence a culture of safety. The challenges associated with occupational safety
practices in the printing industry in Kumasi were time pressure, pressures of
organizational cost cutting, overly strong pursuit for success, management
indifference to hazards, lack of clear safety policies and lack of planning and risk
assessment. The study recommended establishing the lines of authority for safety;
developing a safety policy that includes workplace safety, and includes safety
responsibilities in the job descriptions and performance plans of all employees. Also,
building awareness and caring for safety by emphasizing safety throughout the
company safety policy and practically throughout the company.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Human Resource Management (School of Business), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Business Administration (Human Resource Management