Variation of Occupational Accidents with Time of Day and Worker Fatigue in Kenya

Abstract

Background: The current study investigated the status of workplace accidents in relation to time of day and the contribution of fatigue in the frequency of occurrence of occupational accident in Kenya between June 2008 and June 2009. Materials and Methods: Data was obtained from accident reporting forms (DOSH Form 1) in the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS) and 320 subjects in 8 occupations in the Nairobi metropolitan were interviewed through 320 questionnaires with a return rate of 98.7%. Results: It was established that 1472 occupational accidents had been reported in Kenya in that year from 88 industries. From a low in the morning the highest number of accidents occurred between 1000 hours and 1200 hours, and between 1600 to 1700 hours, with peaks of 226 accidents, between 1100 and 1200 hours, and 182 between 1500 and 1700 hours. Conclusion: The study concludes that the rate of occupational accidents in Kenya is high and that occurrence of accidents varies with time of day at the workplace. We recommend that DOSHS should strive to understand the underlying factors responsible for high number of accidents and ensure employers put in place mechanisms to minimize accidents including worker training programs.