Assessing Employees’ Attitudes towards Improving Workplace Safety: A case Study of Sunda International, Ghana
Akosah, Josephine (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202304145295
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202304145295
Tiivistelmä
The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulation compels employers to take the required precautions to ensure employees' safety at work. However, safety at work cannot be accomplished without the significant input of employees. Employees’ attitudes and behaviours are central elements to improving workplace safety. The aim of this study is to take an in-depth look at the impact of employees’ attitudes toward preventing injuries and promoting workplace safety.
A qualitative study was conducted using four employees from Sunda International Ghana (the study’s working life partner). Semi-structured interviews based on the research questions were conducted to collect the research data. The interviews were conducted face-to-face and recorded for eventual data transcription. The data were coded into themes and analysed using thematic analysis.
The study's findings discovered that ethical and legal responsibility, cost-effectiveness, risk management, and staff morale improvement are some of the important reasons to practice safety. It was revealed in the study that an unsafe workplace is a significant area where workplace safety could be improved and highlighted poor safety culture and lack of a safety management system as the major characteristics of an unsafe workplace. Understanding the causes of accidents helps prevent future occurrences; hence, this study identified negligence, complacency, fatigue, ignorance, and a lack of training as the basic causes of workplace accidents.
Regular training, monitoring and supervision, conducting regular risk assessments, the provision, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and effective communication were discovered to be critical means of preventing accidents and improving workplace safety. The study further showed that developing a positive mindset can improve safety behaviours and urges both employers and employees to make safety their priority. The study concluded that management commitment, safety training, and worker cooperation are key components that must be met to improve workplace safety.
This research urges further follow-up studies to improve workplace safety. Admittedly, the experiences of employees are not enough to improve workplace safety. Hence, the study suggests that employers' perceptions must be sought to determine the appropriate workplace safety.
A qualitative study was conducted using four employees from Sunda International Ghana (the study’s working life partner). Semi-structured interviews based on the research questions were conducted to collect the research data. The interviews were conducted face-to-face and recorded for eventual data transcription. The data were coded into themes and analysed using thematic analysis.
The study's findings discovered that ethical and legal responsibility, cost-effectiveness, risk management, and staff morale improvement are some of the important reasons to practice safety. It was revealed in the study that an unsafe workplace is a significant area where workplace safety could be improved and highlighted poor safety culture and lack of a safety management system as the major characteristics of an unsafe workplace. Understanding the causes of accidents helps prevent future occurrences; hence, this study identified negligence, complacency, fatigue, ignorance, and a lack of training as the basic causes of workplace accidents.
Regular training, monitoring and supervision, conducting regular risk assessments, the provision, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and effective communication were discovered to be critical means of preventing accidents and improving workplace safety. The study further showed that developing a positive mindset can improve safety behaviours and urges both employers and employees to make safety their priority. The study concluded that management commitment, safety training, and worker cooperation are key components that must be met to improve workplace safety.
This research urges further follow-up studies to improve workplace safety. Admittedly, the experiences of employees are not enough to improve workplace safety. Hence, the study suggests that employers' perceptions must be sought to determine the appropriate workplace safety.