Level of Implementation of Health and Safety Regulation in Furniture Industry in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the level of implementation of safety regulations in furniture industry in Oyo State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design which involves the use of questionnaire to determine the opinion of respondents. The target population of the study was 60 respondents that consist of 45 furniture makers and 15 upholstery makers. The entire population was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a 38-item questionnaire; the instrument was validated by two experts in the Department of Industrial and Technology Education, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State. Three research question were formulated to guide the study. The questionnaire was administered to the respondents by the researcher in Oyo State. The study was carried out in three local government areas of Oyo State. The data obtained were analyzed using mean and standard deviations. Finding of the study shows that level of implementation of safety and health regulations is high and as such the rate of accident is minimal Also, loss of hearing, asbestos related diseases, chronic gastritis among others are the health related diseases in the furniture industry. According to the finding, smoking, eating and drinking should be prohibited in the workshop; prohibition of the use of mobile phones while working are some of the strategies to be adopted by furniture industry to safety rule and regulations. Based on these findings the following recommendations were made; Furniture makers should always wear appropriate and approved workshop dresses in the workshop so as to be safe and free from hazard, good ventilation system should be ensured in workshop, Government and non-government organizations should assist individual on safety gadgets and furniture makers should also participate in safety awareness program.