CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Safety
naturally has to do with the provision of safe and accident free working
environment for employees. A suitable work environment influences workers
attitude to work and the desire to participate in the training processes within
the working environment. It also deals with staff interest at the workplace.
Therefore, it could undermine their involvement or noninvolvement in the
production activities which operates at the work place. Staff translates technology and skills into
production to consumers at the workplace. Working environment is important to
productivity. If a staff experiences the work place as a safe, healthy, happy
place with supportive resources and facilities for working for optimal
production, he or she tends to participate more than expected in the process of
production (Alisimo,2003).However, despite this strategic
importance of the hospitality industry, the industry is fraught with safe
issues as it affect the job performance of employees in the industry and the
obvious need to manage health and safety proactively, some establishment do not
give it the priority it deserves. This may be due to a lack of knowledge,
skills and motivation or to limited staff resources. Cost is also an important
issue with companies feeling that they lack the capital necessary to make
proper investment in health and safety and failing to appreciate the importance
of this investment. Likewise, few establishments measure or understand the
costs of safety failures in their establishment.This failure to understand how
investment in safety may affect the establishment in terms of measureable
outcomes is partly due to the challenges inherent in establishing exactly how
effective safety management is related to establishment and employees
performance.
According to Anju( 2003), employers in
the industry are prone to accident such as burns, fingers, fractures, nose
bleeds, fainting, shocks, scalds, gassing and suffocation. One of the main
agenda is to address human development issues, Cotton(2005), noted that the
agenda is achievable by the provision of infrastructure for services and employment
through the hospitality industry of health and safety on workers are improved
to promote and sustain efficiency.The maintenance and promotion of health is
achieved through different combination of physical, mental and social
well-being, together sometimes referred to as the “health triangle” generally,
the content in which an individual lives is of great importance for his health
status and quality of life. It is increasingly recognized that safety is
maintained and improved not only through advancement and application of health
science but also through the efforts and intelligent life style choice of the
individual and society.
1.2Statement
of the Problem
At every point in the growth and
development of hotels, we are reminded that the quality of production depends
to a large extent on the quality of employees. Again we are reminded of the
magical feet of employees as they transform technological objective into
production. One is also reminded of the need to motivate employees in order to
produce the desired productivity (Alfers,
2011)
According to Maslow’s
hierarchy of need theory, basic low level needs such as physiological
requirements and safety must be satisfied before high level needs such as
self-fulfillment are pursued. Higher needs such as social and esteem needs are
not felt until one has met the needs basic to one’s bodily functioning. Once
physiological needs are fulfilled, one’s attention turns to safety and security
in order to be free from the threat of physical and emotional harm. Such needs
must be fulfilled by living in a safe area. According to Maslow’s hierarchy, if
a person feels that he or she is in harm, higher needs will not receive much
attention.
The proliferation of workers in the
hospitality industry has brought with, accompanying safety management issues
giving a bad image to the socio-economic importance of the industry. Though
there have been many studies on health and safety of employees in the
hospitality industry. this study is being conducted to find out the effect of
safety and health management on job performance among employees in hotels in
Ibadan north local government and from which a strategy can be developed to
help establish policies aimed at protecting the right and the safety of the
employees in hospitality industry.
1.3Objectives
of the Study
The main objective is to:
To
assess the effect of safety management on job performance among employees in
hospitality industry in Ibadan.
The specific objectives are to:
i identify potential hazards in the industry
ii
investigate safety management procedures that are in use in hotels
iii examine the influence of safety
management on job performance
1.4 Hypothesesof the study
i. There
is no significant relationship between safety management and job performance.
1.5 Significance of the Study
This research hope to
make a notable contribution in impacting the relevance of safety management on
job performance among the employees in hospitality industry and by revealing
also how safety management can affect the growth and development of the
industry in Nigeria also it will be of great use to all, especially to those in
the field of hospitality, it will also be of immense benefit for researchers
that will be carrying out similar research in future