Workers’ Participation and Planning for an Injury Free Workplace Across Manufacturing Companies in Niger Delta

Abstract:

This study examined the extent of workers participation and planning for an injury free workplace across manufacturing companies in Niger Delta. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population for this study comprised nine (9) manufacturing firms—one from each of the Niger Delta's states, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Cross River, Imo, Rivers, and Ondo were selected for the research. By using the Taro Yamane formula, the sample size of 325 employees was utilized for the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled, Workers Participation and Planning for an Injury Free Workplace across Manufacturing Companies Questionnaire. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while a Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Findings from the study showed that there is a very significant positive association between worker engagement and safety performance [(P =.000) p=0.05] amongst others. The study unequivocally established that poor organizational culture, low employee competency levels, lack of communication, ineffective leadership, and literacy/language barriers were the main obstacles to effective worker participation in SMS implementation across Niger Delta manufacturing companies.