Da Mutuli

Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction Industry in Kenya

The construction industry in Kenya contributes significantly to the socioeconomic development of the nation. A variety of construction technologies are used in the sector, which employs a vast number of workers with varying skills who use different tools, equipment and machinery depending on the type and magnitude of the construction work. The application of labour-intensive technologies in the construction industry in Kenya calls for the provision of occupational safety and health services to the workers. This paper outlines occupational safety and health needs in the construction industry in Kenya.

Situation Analysis of Occupational Safety and Health in Small-Scale Sugarcane Processing Establishments in Kenya

In both the agricultural and industrial sectors, working conditions of the workers are far from satisfactory leading to excessive drudgery and a host of occupational injuries and accidents. Workers are forced to endure working environments that lack any consideration in aspects of occupational health, safety and comfort. About 60 per cent of the employed people in Kenya are in small-scale industries. The sugar industry in Kenya has seventy-one (71) small-scale sugarcane processing establishments scattered throughout the Sugar Belt employing labour-intensive techniques and providing essential employment to the rural people. The work environment is unsatisfactory and management is often unaware of the poor working conditions and the types of improvements that can enhance productivity. Given the important role played by these establishments in the rural economy, a qualitative study of these establishments was undertaken with a view to mapping out the occupational safety and health problems afflicting them. This paper, therefore, attempts to analyse the situation and thereby chart out a strategy for improvement designed to enhance productivity while improving safety and health. It concludes by proposing an awareness campaign targeted specifically to the small-scale manufacturing establishments on the importance of occupational safety and health together with the setting up of a scholarship scheme to assist these establishments gain access to the awareness campaigns currently going on in the country.