Awareness of safety and accident prevention standards in the catering industry in Ghana a case study of Paloma hotels

Abstract

There is evidence that poverty and low educational standards expose staff to exploitation by employers and to some extent high levels of occupational hazards. With insecure employment, particularly in small enterprises, accidents are likely to go undetected. It is against this background that the researcher decided to research into this area. The specific objectives of the study were to establish whether there were policy guidelines relating to prevention of occupational accidents and awareness of the safety procedures by the staff and management of Paloma Hotels. The independent variables examined were the years worked, level of education while the dependent variables included awareness of staff on safety requirements, policies and accident prevention measures. Staff of various sections filled questionnaires to shed light on accident prevention measures and awareness. An observation checklist was also used to establish the safety practices of the hotel. The data collected was then used to establish the extent to which accidents occurred, state of awareness and preventive measures that were undertaken by the hotels. Through personal observation and descriptive method used, it was found out that the awareness of safety rules, policies and regulations by the staff and management of the hotel were quite low. Paloma hotels neither had a system for reporting hazards nor accidents and the staffs were not aware of their safety responsibilities. Accidents such as trips, falls and slips 38%, burns and lacerations 29%, and cuts representing 33%. The main contributing factors for the accidents were identified as carelessness representing 45%, ignorance in use of equipments 33% and accidents being accidental represented 22%. On the other hand preventive measures put in place included training in fire fighting and first aid. Recommendations included providing clear policies on safety procedures in the hospitality industry and training staff on these policies to create awareness. Occupational health is an important strategy not only to ensure the health of workers, but also to contribute positively to productivity, quality of products, work motivation, job satisfaction and thereby to the overall quality of life of individuals and society.