Common occupational machinery hazards in mechanical engineering workshops in TVET institutions in Nairobi metropolitan, Kenya

Abstract

The metal fabrication sector involves a variety of processes, activities, products, and by-products. This involves various interventions such as milling, turning, welding, drilling, and grinding. Firms in this sector use one or a combination of these interventions where machinery is used, which can expose workers to machinery hazards if proper safety procedures are not observed. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is vital in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, especially in mechanical engineering programmes where metal fabrication is practised. The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of occupational machinery hazards in mechanical engineering workshops in TVET Institutions. The study adopted a descriptive research design and employed a structured questionnaire for data collection. Purposive sampling was used to identify institutions participating in the study. SPSS version 25 was used to analyse the data and present it in tables and graphs. Noise (90.4%) and vibration (71.9%) were reported as the most common occupational hazards, respectively, in mechanical engineering workshops. Regarding workstations, the grinding section (39.4%) and milling section (15.8%) were reported as experiencing high levels of noise. The study recommends that adequate control measures be put in place to mitigate against these hazards.