Perceived Factors Affecting Employee Health and Safety at the Teachers Service Commission in Kenya

Abstract

With the rapid industrialization, organizations seek to improve on occupational safety and health (OSH). However, occupational health and safety is influenced by various factors. This study sought to determine the factors that affect health and safety of employees at Teachers Service Commission in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive research design. The study respondents were all the employees of the Teachers Service Commission who are 2000 in total. The population was sampled through stratified random sampling. Primary data was collected using structured and unstructured questionnaires. Data gathered was analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as factor analysis. The findings indicate the there was uncertainty on the effect of employee perspectives of working conditions, training, leadership style, teamwork, attitude, and motivation on the health and safety of employees. The findings further, revealed that the respondents agreed that diversity in gender roles may positively influence health and safety in an organization and were indifferent whether good leadership style is a recipe of health and safety environment; the respondents agreed that employees with positive attitude on health and safety rarely engage on unsafe behaviors and were indifferent whether work attitude has direct effect on employee safety. The study concluded that there is limited understanding of the importance of proper working condition, training on health and safety, an inclusive leadership style, teamwork, positive attitude towards health and safety and motivated employees in reducing ill health and accidents at the work place. The findings of the factor analysis concludes that the most relevant factor that affects employee health and safety is employee attitude followed by leadership, motivation, teamwork, being training and last being working conditions in that order. This indicates that the variables were of relevance to employee health and safety in the order of the objective with the highest mean to the one least mean. The study recommends that in order to ensure employee health and safety, employers should improve working conditions, train the employees on health and safety, adopt inclusive leadership styles, and ensure motivated employees with positive attitudes. The study also recommends the formulation of policies that ensure employers provide safe work environments for employees. Build the capacity of workers to understand the importance of health and safety. Compulsory working safety standards should be provided. Leadership Style in organizations should be effective in influencing and supporting others to follow them and to do willingly the things that need to be done. Organizations should strive to enhance the effectiveness of teamwork by eliminating power and authority conflicts, interpersonal and unusable relationships. To enhance health and safety, teamwork should empower employees by facilitating full potential realization despite the more critical perspectives being taken lately. Members of the team will gain essential gains from autonomy, job satisfaction, identification with work and greater skills development thereby promoting the health and safety of team members.