EVALUATION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS COMPLIANCE AMONG WORKERS OF SELECTED FOOD INDUSTRIES IN THE GREATER ACCRA REGION OF GHANA

ABSTRACT 

Introduction 

Poor Occupational Health, and reduced working capacity of workers may cause economic loss to a country. In countries like Ghana with a high rate of unemployment coupled with a growing informal sector, workers focus mainly on job security, neglecting the need for quality work life. It is argued that poor countries and companies cannot afford safety and health measures. However, there is no evidence that any country or company in the long run benefits from poor safety and health. There are Occupational Health and Safety Standards in Ghana. Lack of enforcement of Occupational Health and Safety policy and inadequate information are some of the factors that militate against compliance with OHS regulations among workers.  

Aims and objectives 

The study therefore sought to evaluate the Occupational Health and Safety Standards compliance among workers of selected industries in Accra. It also sought to evaluate the prevalence of injuries among workers in the selected food industries and to assess the level of awareness of Occupational Health and Safety Standard measures available in the facilities. 

Methods  

This study was cross-sectional in design and employed quantitative techniques, using a structured questionnaire for collection of data, addressing questions related to the research objectives. A total of 408 workers from the selected industries were interviewed using the structured questionnaire and a systematic sampling technique. Descriptive statistics such as means ± SD, cross-tabulations, tables, frequency and percentages were used to describe demographic characteristics of the study population and other factors that influence compliance with occupational health and safety standards among the workers. Bivariate analysis using Chi-square was conducted to determine the association between the independent variables and dependent variable and factors found to be 

statistically significant were subsequently analyzed by Multivariate logistic regression. Odds Ratio (OR) was determined for each of the independent variables and statistical significance of 5% probability level (p ≤0.05). 

Results 

The findings of the study indicated that the prevalence rate of injuries in the selected industries was (7.3%). The most occurring injury among workers of the selected industries was cuts/puncture which was mainly due to nonuse or inappropriate use of PPEs. Factors which were associated with workers’ compliance with occupational health and safety standards include sex, work duty or job description, use of PPE and workers’ satisfaction with health and safety policies in the industries. 

CONCLUSION 

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the Occupational Health and Safety Standards compliance among workers of selected industries in Accra. This study therefore identified the relevant factors that are significantly associated with noncompliance with OHSS among industrial workers in Ghana so that effective measures can be put in place to augment the findings.