Impact of Occupational Health and Safety on Workers‟ Productivity in Textile Industries in Addis Ababa
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Date
2017-10
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AAU
Abstract
The study was conducted to investigate the impact of occupational health and safety workers‟
productivity of textile industries in Addis Ababa city. Several industries have key workers with
personal protective device but with no practically trained. Diseases and accidents result not only
fatality of the workers but also in productivity reduction and financial impact on textile industries
even though the top management of the industries may not fully understand the impact of
occupational health and safety on workers‟ productivity. The data collection method was based
on the questionnaire survey, interview, and observation in five selected textile industries in
Addis Ababa. This study indicated that workers‟ productivity was reduced based on the data
obtained from the five industries. The accidents were notified as body injuries on workers as
mortal and disability. The common cause of occupational accidents in textile industries were
transporting objects, design work place, manual material handling, overload, fatigue, stress,
lower performance increased irritability, slippery, machine, and dust particle. Common type of
injuries in textile industries were burn, abrasion cut, piercing ,puncture ,fracture, eyes injury and
others. Commonly affected body parts were finger, hand, tooth, back bone, eyes injuries and toe.
The common cause of occupational diseases in textile industries were heavy chemical, air dust
particle, extreme temperature, working position sitting, and standing, repetitive motion and task
are more causes diseases in employees. The commonly diseases in textile industries were
allergic, hypersensitivity, headache, typhus, pneumonia, otitis, respiratory track, typhoid,
dyspnea and others. Less attention for providing the necessary personal protective device and
accommodations significantly contributes to safety and health problems in textile industries with
the result on workers‟ productivity in textile industries. The results showed that because of work
related diseases 162 male and 920 female workers were absent from their work at least for three
days in those five case companies. This concern is a public health issue that goes beyond the
injured employee to affect the entire society. When the employees‟ ability to earn is disrupted by
an event such as Workplace disease the financial stability of the family is seriously threatened.
Because of the above reason total of 1902 working days were lost annually. During the lost days,
absent workers from work were paid for medical treatment and salary, accident and injury,
compensation, lose or reduction of production capacity due to inexperienced workers, loss of
customers resulted from being unsatisfied of the less production capacity. Training for new
employees for safety and health related issues also call for additional unproductive expenditure
from the companies. 58 people were injured due to various contributing condition at work place
of the five textile companies covered in this study and among these 40 (68.9%) were female
workers. Due to this injury problem 505 working days were lost in one year. this research, ways
to improve impacts of occupational health and safety on worker productivity in textile industries.
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Keywords
Occupational health and safety, performance, employees’ accidents, diseases, productivity