The Influence of Perceived Quality of Health and Safety Standards on Employees Job Satisfaction at Oserian Development Company, Kenya

Abstract

The health and safety of today‟s workforce is a vital part of every business‟s strategy. There is probably no industry where effective worker engagement with health and safety is more crucial than flower farming industry. Workers in flower farms are always exposed to dangers mainly from chemical poisoning and injuries caused by machinery. There is increasing evidence that workplace conditions may be eroding levels of job satisfaction and directly damaging the physical and mental health as well as the safety of employees. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of perceived health and safety standards on employees‟ job satisfaction at Oserian Development Company, Kenya.The research design was a case study and a a semi structured questionnaire was used to collect data which was analysed using descriptive statistics including including frequencies, percentages, mean scores, standard deviations. Correlation and simple linear regression analysis was also used to determine the influence of health and safety standards on job satisfaction. Out of the targeted 300 respondents, only 206 completed the questionnaires representing a response rate of 69%. The research established that perceived quality of health standards has a strong effect on employee‟s job satisfaction. The adjusted R2 is the coefficient of determination which designates the variation in dependent variable due to changes in independent variable. The adjusted R2 was 0.696 showing that there was 69.6% of the variation in job satisfaction which is accounted for by the combined effects of regular safety training and education, accident prevention measures and health practices. Most respondents agreed that there are wellness programmes in place, adequate accident prevention measures, provision of health care and safety training. They were satisfied with the wellness programmes, accident prevention measures and the health services provided to employees at the health facility. The respondents were dissatisfied with protective gear, lack of initiative to reduce stress and employee benefits. It was recommended that safety training should be customized to meet the needs and requirements of different jobs in different workstations of the organization to enable employees apply the new skills and knowledge acquired. The government should also enforce the safety laws as stipulated in Occupational Health and Safety Act (2007) by taking legal action against all employers who do not abide by the safety laws and standards.