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THE EFFECT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY ON EMPLOYEE’S PRODUCTIVITY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

The history of the Industrial Revolution is not a very pretty one from the stand point of employee health and safety. It was not really thought to be an issue to an employer for almost two centuries. The object was profit and employees were seen as an expendable resource. It might have been this disregard for health and safety that had as much to do as money with the attraction of communism. Today, worker’s health and safety are more than just the morally right thing, it is the profitable thing, and it is the law.

This research shall be examining the importance of Health and Safety to employees’ productivity in Lafarge (West African Cement Company, Ewekoro, Ogun State). The work environment has been described as the aggregate of all living and working conditions that may influence the life and health of the workers or workmen. It includes: lifestyle, culture, values, beliefs, perception of quality, stake holders, perception of value for money, current situation (history), changes, benefits or risks of those changes and health promotion strategies.

The work environment consist of various factors which introduce new dimensions to health, causing diseases and injuries which include, work accidents and exposure to hazards. Emeharole & Iwok (1997) asserted that occupational stress result from negative environmental factors associated with job.

Occupational Health is defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and World Health Organization(WHO) as " the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions; the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological capabilities; and, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job”. Bokinni (2006) in his own view described Safety as “a control of recognized hazards to attain an acceptable level of risk”.

Safety means freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury or loss (Aswathappa, 2004). He described industrial or employee safety as the protection of workers from the danger of industrial accidents. Health and Safety in manufacturing companies should be a major concern for everybody in the industry but it is unfortunate that in this part of the world especially in Nigeria, enough attention is not been given to the issue. In the manufacturing companies; operation of machines, plant and equipment, use of hand tools and many other operations call for attention from relevant authorities, regulatory bodies, societies, scientists, professionals and businessmen to establish safety and health management programs and laws governing the industry and all works activities (Scribd Inc. 2012).

Public awareness and understanding is a must before changes could be made to improve working conditions. That understanding was based on continuing research into occupational health. As record would have it, in 1700, Bernadino Ramazzini, an Italian Physician known as the "father of occupational medicine", appeared on the scene. He conducted the earliest systematic study of occupational disease. His treatise was entitled Discourse on the Disease of Workers. Ramazzini had the foresight, when attempting a diagnosis, to ask about the patient's occupation. He was of the view that there is relationship between a person's work and his health condition. Despite his influence, interest in information concerning worker's health evolved slowly (Morris,1976 as cited by Allender and Sopraldley, 1996).

The history of the industrialized countries shows that social and economic development is closely interdependent. To this day no nation has achieved sustainable economic development by neglecting social programmes, nor has any achieved social well-being without standing on sound economic ground. The essential link between the social and economic phase is the working population. All wealth is directly or indirectly obtained from the efforts of the working population (Reich and Okubo, 1992).  A healthy employee is the key factor for sustainable social and economic development. They contribute seriously to the wealth of the industries. As workers became the backbone of industrialization, massive and indiscriminate employment of vulnerable groups, children and women became the order. Most of the employees were inexperienced and unskilled on the type of tasks involved in the occupation. Employees then became special risk group. Poor and unsafe working conditions, rapid introduction of new industries, invention and application of new tools for mass production and other processes brought about serious danger not anticipated to the employees (Reich and Okubo, 1992). All these resulted in significant dangers to both employees and their families. They became exposed to various occupational diseases and serious accidents aggravated by endemic diseases like malnutrition, worm infestation, malaria and others. Death toll was much. Hence, became the origin of Occupational Health as means of protecting the health and welfare of employees.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

"All too often lives are shattered unnecessarily of poor working conditions and inadequate safety systems. Let me encourage everyone to join the ILO in promoting safety and health at work. It is not only sound economic policy; it is basic human right". -Mr. Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations.

The above statement by the United Nations’ secretary general reflects that compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Policy standards is taken for granted, but that is often meant to be the starting point for safety. Constant monitoring and auditing of the safety conditions of the workplace is also essential. Health and Safety has not been given enough attention in most of the manufacturing industries in Nigeria thereby making the workmen on site prone to accident. As a result of this poor attitude, it is found necessary to create a solution to the problem encountered in the provision of Health and Safety of workers on site (Scribd. Inc. 2012).

Furthermore, the increasing competition related to the globalization era, the predominance of service-oriented industries, the rising job insecurity associated with labour market flexibility (e.g. part-time/temporary contracts) and the shifting demographic composition of the workforce (towards more female, racially diverse and elderly employees), poses important challenges for the health and safety of workers in modern economies. Given the rapidly changing economic environment of recent decades health and safety has therefore gained new impetus, spurred primarily by the non-trivial costs it entails to both individual and national welfare.

1.3    RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.     What is the perception of the employees on health and safety issues and policies?

2.     What is the level of productivity of employees of Lafarge (Wapco) Ewekoro

3.     Is there a relationship between employees’ health and safety and their level of productivity?

4.     What are the challenges facing the management in health and safety policy formulation?

5.     What is the position and contribution of the government in health and safety policy?

1.4   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study shall be conducted with the broad objective of getting the relationship between employees’ productivity and Health and Safety using Lafarge (West African Portland Cement Company, Ewekoro) as a case study, to achieve this objective the specific objectives are as stated below to:

1.   Identify the Health and Safety programmes for the employee of Lafarge (West African Portland Cement Company, Ewekoro).

2.   Examine the employees’ level of productivity

3.   Establish a relationship between safety and employees’ productivity

4.   Examine the attitude of management towards employees’ health and safety at work.

5.   Identify some of the challenges of Health and Safety in the industry.

Many researchers have worked on similar topic but much concentration has always been on policy and the consequence, sanction or punishment. This research shall therefore look at what both the employee and the employer could both benefit from health and safety practice.

1.5   DELIMINATION OF THE STUDY

This study will be limited to Lafarge West African Portland Cement Company, Ewekoro II. Although there are other Plants owned also by Lafarge Wapco here in Nigeria, One also in Ewokoro called Ewekoro I, another one in Sagamu and another plant Unicem in Calabar. Time constrains, cost and the large structure of the organization are part of the reasons why the whole place would not be covered and Lakatabu plant, (Ewekoro II) is chosen because of the relatively large population of employees the presence of all departments and relatively easy accessibility of the staff unlike the other plants where they are hard to find.

This study will limit its sample population to the total number of workforces in Lafarge Ewekoro II, where the sample size will be selected as the representatives of the total employees of Lafarge Wapco Ewekoro.

1.6.   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Bokinni (2006) in his own view described Safety as “a control of recognized hazards to attain an acceptable level of risk”. Safety is a factor that goes beyond the control of hazards alone, most writers as well view safety as a process of avoiding and preventing accidents.

Declining productivity in Nigeria has become a persistent concern of economic and business analysts over the years and as the decline continues so does the search for solutions (Bowman, 1994; Burnstein and Fisk, 2003; Balk, 2003). Dozens of organizations have attempted to solve their productivity problems by application of various innovative management techniques (Balas, 2004). Some private sector agencies have implemented incentive programs in order to influence and increase productivity.

Brenner (2004) asserted that the ability of employees within an organization to share knowledge throughout the system depends on the conditions of their work environment. The study shall add to existing literature. It shall also provide basis of informing managements of Nigerian industries on the extent to which occupational health and safety could go in adding more value to the image of the organization, its activities and turnover. This research work shall be an eye opener in the sense that it shall be directed towards exploring the opportunities that could be derived in investing in employees’ health and safety rather than the previous ideas of motivation, carrot or stick and other alternatives. This is not to say that they don’t work anymore but this study shall be aiming at providing alternative means of getting things done in a new way. And finally, it shall also examine the dangers of not having a Health and Safety Regulation in an organization.

1.7.     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Accident: An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

Hazard: is something that can cause harm if not controlled.

Risk: is a combination of the probability that a particular outcome will occur and the severity of the harm involved.

Employee: A person who is hired to provide services to a company on a regular basis in exchange for compensation and who does not provide these services as part of an independent business

Health: Health is the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life, promoting physical and mental health, sanitation and personal hygiene, control of infections and organization of health services

Organization: A social unit of people, systematically structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis.

Policy: The set of basic principles and associated guidelines, formulated and enforced by the governing body of an organization, to direct and limit its actions in pursuit of long-term goals.

Safety: Relative freedom from danger, risk, or threat of harm, injury, or loss to personnel and/or property, whether caused deliberately or by accident.

Workplace: Establishment or facility at a particular location containing one or more work areas.

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