An Assessment of the Factors Affecting The Implementation Of Health And Safety Practices In the Work Place.

Abstract

This study investigated the factors affecting the implementation of health and safety practices in the work place taking Busoga Forestry Company Limited as a case study. It examined the level at which leadership affects the implementation of health and safety practices in the company, assessed the extent to which employee’s participation affects the implementation of health and safety practices in the company and also assessed whether training of employees thoroughly affects the implementation of health and safety practices in the company. Various methods were applied to come up with reliable results that is to say both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, observation and review of available literature, records from the internet and other sources. Data was later analyzed and tally and frequency tables were extracted using SPSS from where conclusions were drawn. The study revealed that few employees in the company have supervisory roles this is because a big number of employees work under operation level doing technical work due to the nature of the company, a number of employees in the company who are leaders are not exemplary to others, and they don’t warn their subordinates on health and safety issues. A big number of employees about 28.9% of the targeted sample do not put on full PPE or safety attires, others do put on full PPE and others consider putting on only in danger areas or when operating the machines. Even though the company does a great work of training its workers on the roles they do in their positions and also on health and safety practices, a few employees of over 9% among the targeted sample never got training about health and safety practices. The recommendations appealed the Government to do further inspection, the company to fully train its employees and enforce implementation of the health and safety rules and also the employees to ensure they safeguard themselves. Therefore, all implications concerning health and safety the company goes through as reflected by results are associated to poor staffing (weak recruitment process) and the entire management.