Occupational Safety and Health Awareness among Factory Workers of the Kenya Tea Development Agency in Region Five

Abstract

Tea industry is the largest employer in the private sector with over 80,000 working in the estate and 3 million earning their livelihoods from the sector. The main risks posed by workers at tea factories are from unguarded machinery, chemical and biological agents as well as unfavourable working conditions like high temperatures. The objective of the current study was to determine the level of occupational safety and health awareness among workers of Kenya tea development agency factories in region five.  The study sites were Kapkoros Tea factory, Tirgaga Tea factory, Mogogosiek Tea factory, Kapset Tea factory, Litein Tea factory, Momul Tea factory and Toror Tea factory. The study employed a descriptive design which used probability sampling methods to select 260 participants. Structured questionnaires were used to collect qualitative data which was analyzed using statistic package for social scientist.  Of the total respondents 46.7% had secondary school education and below while the remaining 51.2% had college education and above. The factory staffs were found to be aware of occupational safety and health issues in their respective factories except that they were not aware of emergency procedures in case of fire. Most of the staff in the seven tea factories reported to have been exposed to hazards such as dust, injuries and high noise levels.

Keywords:occupational safety, awareness, emergency procedures, risks.