Ergonomic Hazards and Associated Health Effects in Selected Food and Beverage Industries in Nairobi Kenya

Abstract

Ergonomic hazards in the food and beverage industries pose serious health risks to workers. These hazards are often a result of manual handling activities such as lifting, lowering, pushing, and restraining, which are common in these industries. Workers frequently perform these tasks in awkward postures, use excessive force, and engage in repetitive motions. The consequences of these hazardous activities include work related musculoskeletal disorders, reduced productivity and increased absenteeism among workers. Many workers who have been exposed to these hazards have reported experiencing pain, discomfort, and injuries, particularly in their back, fingers, shoulders, and neck. Despite such significant health risks faced by majority of the workers in the food and beverage industries being one of the largest sectors of the economy in Kenya, there has been little attention given to understanding their challenges and improving their working conditions. This research study aimed to address this gap by profiling ergonomic hazards, assessing the associated health effects among workers, and identifying existing and applied control measures in the selected food and beverage industries. The study was conducted among a population of 1821 workers in five selected facilities within Nairobi County in Kenya. To obtain a representative sample, a systematic random sampling technique was used, which resulted in 328 workers taking part in the study. The research collected primary data through the administration of semi-structured questionnaires, interviews, observations, and measurements. Collected data was analyzed using SSPS version 24.0, and findings of the study revealed that manufacturing (56%) and warehousing (46%) were the most impacted processes in terms of ergonomic hazards. These processes involved manual handling, loading, lifting, pushing, and restraining activities. The study also found that the most significant health effects experienced by workers, were largely attributed to the way they performed their tasks such as applying excessive repetitive force. Additionally, the study confirmed that a strong positive relationship existed between the encountered ergonomic hazards and the prevalence of health effects among employees in the studied workplaces. This relationship was found to be statistically significant (r = 0.80, p-value = 0.00). The study concluded that the most existing control measures in the workplaces implemented to mitigate the encountered ergonomic hazards by workers were significantly administrative in nature. It recommends further investigation should be carried into the health effects of other hazard categories, such as biological and chemical hazards, among workers in the food and beverage industries.