INFLUENCE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
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INFLUENCE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background of the Study
Occupational safety and health is a discipline that deals with the prevention of workplace injuries and diseases, as well as the protection and promotion of healthy employees. It attempts to enhance working conditions and the environment.
Occupational health comprises promoting and maintaining the best possible physical and mental health, as well as social well-being, for workers in all occupations.
Occupational Safety and Health has recently become a much higher priority in light of the growing evidence of significant loss and suffering caused by occupational diseases and ill-health in a variety of employment sectors, and managers are concerned, at least in part, because of the increasing number of workplace deaths and injuries.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is a complicated field that interacts with a wide range of company interests and issues. To date, OHS has been pushed to the margins of Human Resource Management (HRM), where its function, effect, and value have been disregarded (Cassio, 2004).
Kerr’s (1954) Goal-Freedom Alertness Theory and Hinze’s (1997) Distractions Theory both provided support for the study. According to the Goal-Freedom Alertness Theory, safe job performance results from a psychologically satisfying work environment, as workers will be safe in a pleasant work environment if managers and supervisors actively endeavour to reduce workplace risks, diseases, and accidents.
According to the Distractions Theory, safety and health are situational, with two components. The first component addresses threats provided by unsafe physical conditions, while the second deals with a worker’s preoccupation with concerns unrelated to the task at hand.
The study was conducted at Ghana Power corporation because the corporation failed to implement proper health and safety procedures in the workplace to protect not only employees and management, but also customers and other stakeholders who may have an interest in the business.
According to Naidoo and Willis (2002), promoting health and safety in the workplace has a number of benefits for the organisation, including increased productivity due to reduced illness absence, improved corporate image, and lower worker turnover.
Safety precautions minimise accidents and ensure a consistent flow of work, which boosts employee morale and productivity. It also promotes teamwork and a sense of belonging among employees.
On the other hand, Boyd (2003) contends that increased employee performance leads to increased organisational effectiveness. Among the benefits of safe and healthy workplaces are increased productivity due to fewer lost workdays, increased efficiency and quality from a healthier workforce,
lower medical and insurance costs, lower workers’ compensation rates and direct payments due to fewer chains being filed, and a better reputation. According to McCunney (2001), the primary benefit of occupational health and safety on productivity is lower absenteeism.
The challenge for organisations today is to enlist the hearts and minds of all of their personnel. In today’s workplace, occupational exposures exist alongside ergonomic, physiological, and psychosocial aspects. Such elements, either singly or in complex combinations, endanger workers’ safety and health while decreasing well-being and productivity (Health and Safety Executive, 2008).
The World Health Organisation (2013) estimates that more than 160 million new cases of work-related diseases occur each year. According to the International Labour Organisation, 2.2 million workers die each year as a result of work-related disease and injury, with 350 thousand of these deaths caused by accidents and the remainder by occupational illness and accidents.
On top of that, the International Labour Organisation estimates that 264 million nonfatal accidents occur each year, resulting in more than three (3) days out from work, and 160 million people suffer from work-related diseases.
According to the International Labour Organisation, occupational sickness and accidents cost the world 4% of its yearly GDP (ILO, 2013). Over the last year, little more than three (3) million US workers have had occupational injuries and illnesses as a result of workplace accidents, with a number of fatalities.
This data yields an incidence rate of 3.3 instances per 100 full-time workers (Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2013). In the United Kingdom, 2 million people are claimed to be suffering from illnesses that are thought to be caused or exacerbated by their current or previous employment.
Overall, the UK outperforms many other European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland, in terms of injuries, fatalities, and self-reported work-related illness (British Safety Council, 2014).
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