Appraisal of Occupational Safety in Manufacturing Industries in Kaduna and Niger States of Nigeria.

Abstract

It has been observed that a lot of accidents occur because of lack of safety awareness. Men fall from ladders, operate their machines without guards, drop objects on their toes, or cut their hands because of misuse of tools. All these occur as a result of unsafe acts, or unsafe working conditions. This study therefore has been designed to appraise occupational safety and health practices in manufacturing industries in Kaduna and Niger states of Nigeria. Three research questions and 2 hypotheses guided the study. The study was carried out in 30 functional industries spread between Niger and Kaduna States. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The respondents for the study comprised of 50 Administrators, 70 Engineers/Technologist and 150 Technicians/Craftsmen. A structured questionnaire consisting of 48 items was used for data collection. Mean scores, Standard deviations and One Way Analysis (ANOVA) were used in the analysis of the data collected. Findings show that some safety equipment and facilities are provided, but management need to show more commitment in providing more facilities. Safety departments in many of the industries are not functional. Not much is done in terms of safety Education. It was recommended among others that, functional fire fighting vehicles and facilities should be improved upon. Posters, safety booklets, films, special classroom sessions, and interaction with safety specialist/supervisors should be used to educate and enlighten employees on safety issues, safety inspectors from government ministries should play supervisory role in ensuring strict compliance with government policies on safety and health practices in manufacturing industries in Nigeria.