Occupational health and safety practices of University of Cape Coast

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practices in the University of Cape Coast. The aim is to examine the OHS practices and to determine, the extent to which, the University had adhered to requirements of legislation governing occupational health and safety, assess the level of employee awareness of hazardous conditions associated with their work and make recommendations based on the findings to improve occupational health and safety practices. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. The sample involved 346 participants drawn from the senior members, senior staff and junior staff categories. Data were collected using questionnaire, semi-structured interview and observation. They were analysed using the Statistical Product for Service Solutions Software (SPSS Release 12.0 Windows). The study found that training in occupational health and safety was limited within the university. The university hardly notified staff on health and safety hazards at the workplace. The workers were also not encouraged to report workplace health hazards and it did not provide adequate orientation on health and safety legislation. Workers were also not provided with copies of OHS policy document. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the Human Resource Division of the University should include health and safety training in its staff orientation and in-service training programmes. This will ensure that all staff gain in-depth understanding of issues related to OHS in the University.