Status of Occupational Safety and Health within Selected Banks in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

There are different types of risks which face staff working with commercial banks, which are aggravated by how the local banking industry has expanded. The persistently rising demands of the banking industry and the working environment poses serious hazards to the banking staff. It is with this understanding that this study purposed to evaluate the status of occupational safety and health in commercial banks focusing more precisely on tier one banks operating in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study included the assessing of the workplace hazards facing bank employees; identification of the current OSH practices; and also, determination of the level of awareness of employees in regard to risks in their working environment. The theory of reasoned action, and iceberg theory guided the study. A cross-sectional survey research design and a quantitative approach were both embraced by the study. The study was carried out amongst tier 1 commercial banks in Nakuru County. The staff working in tier one commercial banks in Kenya constituted the target population. A total of 589 staff working with the aforesaid banks in Nakuru County comprised the accessible population. A sample of 163 staff was drawn from the study population using stratified random sampling technique. A self-designed structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The research questionnaire was pilot-tested with the view of assessing its validity and reliability. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 24.0 program facilitated analysis of the collected data. Data was reported through descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study were presented in form of graphs, charts and tables. Study results revealed that the correlation between hazards in banks and OSH status was negative, weak and not statistically significant (r = - 0.076; p > 0.05). The correlation between OSH practices and OSH status was positive, moderately strong and statistically significant (r = 0.657; p < 0.05). More so, the relationship between employee awareness of risks and OSH status in banks was found to be positive, moderately strong and statistically significant even at 95% confidence level (r = 0.35; p < 0.05). Regression analysis established that 47.8% of variance in status of OSH in commercial banks could be explained by hazards in banks, OSH practices, and employee awareness of workplace hazards. Of the foregoing factors, OSH practices were found to be the most critical in determining the status of OSH in commercial banks operating in Nakuru County. The results conclude that workplace hazards are likely to undermine the status of OSH in banks if and when they are unchecked. The study also found that there are several OSH practices that are executed by commercial banks. These include amongst others, medical examinations of employees, elimination of the sources of hazards, work shifts, rest breaks and job rotation. Furthermore, it was concluded that employees’ awareness of risks would ensure that they take deterrent measures, therefore, improving the status of OSH in commercial banks. The study recommended that banks should compensate employees in case of injuries and also cater for associated hospitalization costs. It was further recommended that banks ought to develop a framework that guides implementation of OSH practices and compliance with OSH legislation in order to avoid litigation costs and bad corporate image. Further studies are recommended on OSH in other financial institutions such as Saccos and microfinance institutions, and also in other sectors such as the hospitality industry.