Effect Of Occupational Health And Safety Measures On Employees’ Performance

1.1 Background Information to the Study

In organizations today, human resources have become the major asset for productivity in its maximum since machines do not have the capacity to operate it selves. In Nigeria, industrial workers lacked the right information to work safely which has exposed many employees to potential risk and workplace hazard that may have a partial or permanent disability and sometime may result to fatality at work site, this could be as a result of ignorance to the correct practice or people still trying to gain earns meet for survival due to the low job opportunity in the country. Organizations have the moral and legal obligations to ensure there is safe and healthy working environments with the intent of ensuring their employees total well-being.

Occupational health and safety measures are concerned with protecting employees and other people affected by what the organization produces and does- against the hazards arising from their employment or their links with the organization. Premier Occupational Healthcare (2010), adding their voice to what is meant by Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) see it as activities, processes, or procedural strategies to protect and promote the health and safety of workers. Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. From the words of Kofi Annan (former UN General Secretary) which was cited in Tawiah and Baah (2011), health and safety is not only a sound socioeconomic and political policy; rather a basic human right. In practice, occupational safety and health include moral and economic issues. OHS is a science focused on ensuring safety in the workplace (Muchemedzi & Charamba, 2006; Tamene, Afework & Mebratu, 2020). Occupational health and safety encompasses promoting safety standard of employees by implementing safety standards in an organization. The organization with little or no health and health measures implemented will continue to be burdened by workplace fatalities, illnesses, and injuries. Organizations known for protecting health and safety of employees reflect a high organizational safety culture (Alli, 2008). Occupational health and safety issues are related to short-term physical injuries, and occupational hazards that source serious long-term ignored health problems. Some of them are neurologic, hypertension, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, which cause due to occupational hazards (Greepherson, 2013). Health and safety play an important role in ensuring maximum performance of employees in organizations, because employees will not give their optimum best in an unsecured environment.

However, employee performance is defined as the outcome of individuals with respect to process, results, relevance, and success (Nassazi, 2013). Employee performance entails recorded results gained through the function of different works or activities within a specified period duration (Cassio, 2014). Bernadin (2012), describes employee performance to be a set of behaviors which are of relevance to the firm’s or organizational units goals in which employees work. It is about aligning the organizational objectives with the employees’ agreed measures, skills, competency requirements, development plans and the delivery of results. Employee performance is the heartbeat of organizational success, shaping productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction. It mirrors the efficacy of leadership, the robustness of systems, and the cohesion of teams. High performance fuels growth, cultivates a culture of excellence, and fosters employee engagement and retention. Conversely, subpar performance can impede progress, erode morale, and tarnish the company’s reputation. Recognizing and nurturing employee performance is paramount for optimizing operational efficiency, maintaining competitive edge, and achieving strategic objectives. It’s the cornerstone upon which businesses thrive, adapt, and endure in dynamic market landscapes. Thus, this study tends to examine the effect of occupational health and safety measures on employee performance in Dangote Cement Plant, Ibese, Ogun State.