ABSTRACT
The study examined occupational health and safety as determinants of employees' productivity, using NESTLE NIGERIA PLC, Agbara office as a case study.
The study employed descriptive survey research method as the research design.
A sample size of 220
respondents was selected applying purposive sampling method.
Questionnaire was the major instrument used to collect data, the
reliability co-efficient of the instrument was 0.86. Two hypotheses were
formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The data collected
analyzed using percentage, frequency distribution tables and chi-square
inferential statistics.
The findings showed that
there is significant relationship between occupational health and
employees' productivity. Also, it was revealed that there exists no
significant relationship between occupational safety and employees
productivity.
Based on the findings, it
was recommended among others things that employees should provide
adequate health facilities in their factories. Also, employees are
encouraged to comply with health and safety rules at workplace and that
government on her part should endeavour to enforce labour laws
concerning health and safety of workers.
Key words: Occupational Health, Occupational Safety, Employees' Productivity, Manufacturing Sector.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
Certification
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table of content
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background to the study
1.1 Statement of the problem
1.2 Objectives of the study
1.3 Research questions
1.4 Research hypotheses
1.5 Significance of study
1.6 Scope of the study
1.7 Operational definition of terms
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Concepts of Occupational Health and safety
2.2 Health and safety policies and programmes
2.3 Managing health and safety at work
2.4 The importance of health and safety in the workplace
2.5 Benefits of workplace health and safety
2.6 Health and safety policies
2.7 Health and safety audits
2.8 Safety inspections
2.9 Occupational health programmes
2.10 Communication the need for better health and safety practices
2.11 Health and safety training
2.12 Organization health and safety
2.13 Occupational health and employee’s productivity
2.14 Occupational safety and employee’s productivity
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Research design
3.2 Population of the study
3.3 Sample and sampling techniques
3.4 Research instrument
3.5 Validity and reliability of the instrument
3.6 Administration of the instrument
3.7 Method of data analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Demographic data of the respondents
4.2 Presentation and testing of hypotheses
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECMMENDATION
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
References
Appendix
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Labour is one of the vital
resources required for high level productivity at both organizational
and national level. Without labour, other factors of production like
capital, machines and land may remain passive. This is so because it is
labour that put other factors into effective use. Perhaps, this explains
why labour is often held responsible for whatever goes wrong in the
production process. Suffice it to say that without efficient labour,
high level productivity particularly in the manufacturing sector may be
elusive. It however requires a sound health and well safeguarded working
environment to have an effective and efficient workforce that is highly
productive and capable of accomplishing the corporate goals of
organization.
In view of the central and
critical role played by labour in the economic growth and survival of
organizations. It becomes imperative for employer of labour especially
in the organized private sector to ensure that the health and safety of
their employees are given adequate attention.
It is however noteworthy
that in Nigeria industrial relations practice, emphasis is placed almost
exclusively on issues relating to the formation and functioning of
trade unions, employers' association and the promotion and settlement of
collective disputes, while the issues of safety and health of workers
are relegated to the background and therefore regarded as peripheral to
industrial relations practice (Yesufu, 2000)
The above perception of
industrial relations practitioners in Nigeria is parochial because the
issues of safety and health on the fundamental human element in the
workplace, without which no organization or nation can grow or survive.
For instance, the rate of industrial accident in an organization is
often used as the index of its level of inefficiency; therefore, any
organization which is prone to high industrial accident probably due to
absence of adequate safety measure is likely to suffer high labour
turnover, absenteeism, low productivity, high labour cost and reduced
profitability.
In the same way, an
organization that could not maintain the health of its workers is likely
to face the problem of weak, feeble and unproductive workforce. It is
therefore important that as a country advances in industrialization,
issues of health and safety especially in the manufacturing sector,
which is the real sector that determines the economic growth and
development of a nation, should be given a priority. It is against this
backdrop that this study investigated the influence of occupational
health and safety on employee productivity in manufacturing sector in
Ogun State, Nigeria.
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
It has been observed that
majority of workers m the manufacturing sector are daily exposed to
diverse occupational health and safety hazards. This has impaired their
health status and adversely affected their productive capacity. In the
same vein, their pruness to industrial accidents had equally
incapacitated physically some of the factory workers, which in turn had
caused a decline in their level of productivity. Therefore, there is
need to investigate empirically the relationship between occupational
health and safety and employee's productivity in the manufacturing
sector using NESTLE PLC, Agbara as a case study.
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The major objective of
this study is to investigate the effect of occupational health and
safety on employee's productivity in the manufacturing sector.
The specific objectives are:-
- i. To find out the meaning of the concepts of occupational health and safety.
- ii. To examine the joint effect of occupational health and safety on employee's productivity.
- iii. To determine the relative effects of occupational health and safety on employee's productivity.
- iv. To offer suggestions on how occupational health and safety could be used to enhance employee's productivity.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- What is occupational health and safety?
- What is the joint effect of occupational health and safety on employee's productivity?
- What is the relative effect of occupational health and safety on employee's productivity?
- What could be done to improve employee's productivity using occupational health and safety?
1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
Hypothesis 1
Ho: There is no significant relationship between occupational health and employee's productivity
Hi : There is significant relationship between occupational health and employee's productivity.
Hypothesis 2
Ho: There is no significant relationship between occupational safety and employee's productivity.
Hi: There is significant relationship between occupational safety and employee's productivity.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The findings of this study will help to ameliorate the debilitating working conditions of the factory workers.
Also, it will go a long
way to enhance the performance of workers in the manufacturing sector.
By extension, the economy generally will be boosted because
manufacturing sector is the real sector of the economy.
In the same vein, the
profitability of the organizations in the manufacturing sector would be
augmented. This may lead to employment generation.
Again, the findings of
this study will add to the existing knowledge in the area of
occupational health and safety as it relates to employee's productivity.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The focus of the study is
on occupational health and safety as it relates to employee's
productivity. The study is further confined to one organization in the
manufacturing sector. The company is Nestle Nigeria Plc, Agbara office.
1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
- i. Occupational Health:- It is
the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental
and social well being of workers in all occupations.
- ii. Occupational Safety: - It is a state of being free from harm, injuring, death, loss, damage and pollution.
- iii. Productivity: It is ratio or proportion of output of the commodity to the input of the factor of production
- iv. Employee Productivity: - It is the volume of goods and services produced per employee within some specified unit of the year, month, week, day or hour.