Abstract
Small-scale enterprises and the informal sector such as mechanical, welding and carpentry workshops constitute the fastest growing economic sectors and represent the most realistic form of employment creation. These occupations are vulnerable and prone to concern themselves with survival rather than improving health and safety and as such health risks remain high in their workplaces. The objectives of this study was to assess the provision of PPEs to employees and level of enforcement of Occupational Health and Safety Act of 2010 with other regulations, guidelines and standard operational procedures in mechanical, welding and carpentry workshops in Mbala District of Northern province in the Republic of Zambia. A descriptive survey of 75 employees from small scale industries or workshops was conducted and data was collected using a questionnaire in line with key ILO thematic areas for workplaces. The results showed that the employees in these workshops were generally not complying with requirements for provision of PPEs with 28% of employees reported not being provided with PPEs. Emergency preparedness and prevention in the workplaces was also poor as none of the employees reported being trained or inducted in first aid management and 0% had first aid kit at their workshop as only 8% were inducted. It was also revealed that employees in Mechanical, Welding and Carpentry workshops in Mbala District of Zambia mostly are not complying with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2010 on general provisions including regulation 22 on provision and use of PPEs leading to dangerous and highly risky workplace environment. It was further revealed that all the employees from workshops interviewed have never been inspected or audited by Factory Inspectors from the Ministry of Labor and Social Services or from any other authorized bodies leading to lack of legal enforcement. The findings of this study can be used to update the health and safety conditions at different workplaces, achieving many socio-economic benefits for Zambia. Intervention plans like education, awareness, and regular medical checkups should be advocated which help in prevention and minimizing workplace exposures to occupational hazards. The identification and prevention of work-related health costs could result in substantial savings for the national health system, leading to the more sustainable social system. This study provides the baseline for elaborative studies in the future.
Highlights
Workers in occupations such as carpentry, welding and mechanics workshops face a lot of hazards and risks associated with manual handling in the workplace where they highly depend on manual handling of tools and equipment in carrying out their duties
Type of Work The findings on figure 2 revealed that, majority employees were working in mechanical workshops with 31 employees representing 41.3% from the total number of 75 employees interviewed, followed by 27 (36%) employees in carpentry workshop, 14 (18.7%) employees were from welding workshops and 3 (4%) employees were from both mechanical and welding workshops
The data above indicated serious systems and procedural gaps in the standard operations procedures (SOP) that leads to compromised workplace environments exposing employees to workplace hazards and posing high risks of accidents and injuries
Summary
Workers in occupations such as carpentry, welding and mechanics workshops face a lot of hazards and risks associated with manual handling in the workplace where they highly depend on manual handling of tools and equipment in carrying out their duties. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2010 [1], the Duties of employers to employees under section 16 states that notwithstanding any other written law, an employer shall without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), an employer shall (i) provide at the employer’s expense all appropriate protective clothing or equipment (PPEs) to be used in the workplace by employees, who in the course of employment, are likely to be exposed to the risk of bodily injuries and adequate instructions in the use of such protective clothing or equipment (ii) Do for, or provide to, the employees, free of charge, anything which by law is required to be provided to those employees by the employer. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2010 [1], the Duties of employers to employees under section 16 states that notwithstanding any other written law, an employer shall without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), an employer shall (i) provide at the employer’s expense all appropriate protective clothing or equipment (PPEs) to be used in the workplace by employees, who in the course of employment, are likely to be exposed to the risk of bodily injuries and adequate instructions in the use of such protective clothing or equipment (ii) Do for, or provide to, the employees, free of charge, anything which by law is required to be provided to those employees by the employer. (iii) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) commits an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding five hundred thousand penalty units [1].
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