Medicina Ocupacional y Asuntos de Salud

Abstracto

Physical Environmental Determinants of Workers’ Occupational Health and Safety in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Lagos State, Nigeria

Oluranti Samuel

Work environment includes physical work environment, personal health resources, enterprise community involvement and psychosocial work environment. The physical environment of the workplace is not only the building and the offices, but the way the workplace is structured and the various arrangements of things within the premises. The effects of the physical environment of any given workplace to occupational health and safety (OHS) cannot be over emphasized. This paper assesses the physical environmental determinants of workers on OHS in selected sawmills, mechanic, and blacksmith cottages in Lagos State, Nigeria. Adopting the labour process theory, this study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection in the selected study areas. Simple percentiles and content-analysis of the collected data were used. The results include dirty environment that are hazard-prone, wastes are burnt within premises, open defecation, pollution through smokes, dust, noise and indiscriminate disposal of refuse. The findings could determine poor OHS of workers in the selected workplaces. The paper suggest adequate training for workers on environment and OHS, involvement of the trade associations in the OHS matters; and the government agencies responsible for the issues of environment and OHS should be alive to their responsibilities.