Assessment of Occupational Safety and Health Status in Selected Sawmilling Industries in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Working in sawmills has been identified as one of the most dangerous occupations even in countries with high levels of compliance with occupational health and safety regulations. The main objective of the study was to assess occupational safety and health status of workers in selected saw milling industry in Nakuru County. The study employed a cross sectional analytical design which included a walk-through survey. The study targeted 9 sawmills with a population of 11029 employees, from which a sample of 386 respondents was drawn via a two-stage sampling technique.The first stage involved sampling the number of saw mills in the four town centres (Njoro, Elburgon, Molo and Nakuru). The second stage stratified sampling involved taking a simple random sample from each stratum represented by different categories of workers. Stratification and random sampling procedure was used to select workers from sawmilling industries in Njoro, Elburgon, Molo and Nakuru towns of Nakuru County. The researcher collected primary data using a questionnaire while secondary data was collected through existing literature relevant to the current research topic under study. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistical tools namely frequencies, percentages and mean while inferential statistical tools such as correlation was used to determine and explain variable relationship; through SPSS Version 22 computer program. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to assess the workers’ understanding on occupational safety and health, training needs, accidents and safety controls at work place. Management commitment to safety and health and legal compliance was determined through observation of records kept and use of the checklist. From the findings, Most sawmill workers are usually males and in the active age group due to the demands of the work; a study carried out in Kenya had more than sixty percent of his respondents to be males. Wood dust (81%) and noise (82%) were reported as a major hazards by almost all of the sawmill workers in this study. Workers were not adequately provided with protective face shields (16%), nose masks/respirators (46%), earplugs or muffs (21%) and helmets(44%).Further, majority of the respondents encountered accidents at the sawmill workshops and production areas at 45.1%. Those who encountered accidents, the majority 31.4% had laceration injuries followed by the bruises at 10.8%. 45% agreed that both worker and Sawmill owners were responsible for safety at work. 72% indicated they use sawdust for agricultural uses and animal bedding while 85% burns waste paper. 93.8% of the workers were exposed to noise levels of 90 dB (A) and above for more than 8 hrs daily. 90.6% of the workers are aware that noise can cause deafness and 88.8 % of the workers were aware that it can be prevented. The causes of accidents in the places of work were lack of training at 43%, carelessness and ignorance at 23%, lack of personal protective equipment at 19% and Spillages at 15%. This study concluded that sawmill workers exposure to wood dust and machine as hazards was high but usage of personal protective equipment was however very low. Sawmill sites visited in this study were observed to carelessly heap wood dust/shavings in open spaces. Accumulated wood dust particles are easily combustible and can cause fire explosion. The most common injuries and illnesses in sawmills were bruises and lacerations which result from improper usage of machines, obsolete and faulty machines with most of the safety guards removed or non-functional, lack of safety and health trainings, carelessness and nonuse of Personal Protective Equipment. The safety control measures and safety management systems are not adequately in place. Adequate measures should therefore be put in place to mitigate against these hazards in sawmills, especially by the employers.