Evaluation of the knowledge of wood workers on industrial safety precautions and hazards. a case study in the Accra metropolis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of local saw millers on industrial hazards and personal safety concerns in the satellite and unregistered saw mills in the Accra metropolis with the aim of helping to reduce if not eliminate the rampant occurrence of injuries in the wood /furniture industry. The machine operators and carpenters at the Accra Timber market formed the population or sample frame for the study. A sample size of 100 was randomly selected. 40% master craft men and 60% apprentice (trainees/ employees). The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics. To achieve this, working experience and educational level of the respondents was cross - tabulated with the research questions to arrive at frequencies, percentages and mean differences among the variables. P - Value of 5% (P< 0.05) was used to analyse the seven hypotheses formulated. Questionnaires, interviews and observations were used. Two sets of closed ended form, of twenty items each were designed to collect relevant data from the sample. The result indicated that, the wood workers at Accra timber market is male dominated since all respondents reported to be males. It further indicated that the majority of the workers had basic education which reflected on their knowledge level of safety at their work places. It showed very weak attitude towards safety precautions even though majority indicated they observed safety at work. 65% indicated that they did not use safety clothing and devices and 95% of the total respondents also indicated they did not have fire safety equipment at all. The recommendations among others included the following. Factory inspectors should be resourced to intensify supervision and education on safety. Government should develop interest in the safety of wood workers since they are one of the major contributors in the nation's infrastructure development. Employers should be mandated to implement regulations on safety to the benefit of their employees.