THE IMPACT OF SAFETY CONSCIOUSNESS AND PRACTIC
BY MANAGERS IN NIGERIA BREWERY INDUSTRY PLC
9TH MILE CORNER NGWO ENUGU.
ABSTRACT
The principal task of every manager in any industry is to protect workers from some hazardous accidents. Therefore, this raises the questions as to know whether: the accidents occurrence can be attributed to safety unawareness of managers in an industry. Secondly, to know whether Nigerian Brewery is really conscious regarding the accident that occurs in their industry. In the study, attempt was made to identify the causes of accidents, the industrial safetiness programme needed for safety conscious etc. however, the principal objectives of the research work was to find out the extent of safety awareness by managers in Nigerian Brewery Plc 9th mile corner Enugu, to find out the type of safety precaution practiced by the management of the NBL. And finally, to find out how conscious staff was in handling the machines.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
An industry can be viewed as a special device for accomplishing or achieving group objectives or complex issues beyond individual effort.
According to Ejili (2009:234), he maintained that
“ an industry is a group of firms producing similar product.” That is, it is a group of firms involved in one line of production. There is no doubt that industry is one of the most important sector of the economy also it covers a lot for all other things such as employer of labor, greater market share occupation, highly competitive in nature and in addition generate incomes for workers and to the government in the area of company tax. It is through this light that people, functions, relationship rulers and regulations are adopted in order to achieve the desired productivity, increase that is the global industrial objectives while writing on the objectives of NBL, a worker is a happy worker: therefore, an industrial worker must be healthy both in body and soul in order to contribute greatly to the achievement of industry
It holds that during selection exercise, industries place premium on medical checks to ensure that the new employee is full of physical and mental health, when the employee is given a clean bill of health preferably by the company doctors; this data is kept in the personal records of the new employee. And this has contributed greatly o because it is now a serious offense for employee not to disclose his/here state of health before being employed.
These have cause management of both federal and private industries to put more interest in the employee’s health and safety in work places and several legislation have been passed. Industry has grown dynamic and complex because of the complexity nature of the society and the effort of managers which tends to serve with products. By so dong new technology has been taken place and obsolete once has to be taken off. That is why, when these new equipment are not used to it; accident could occur because of wrong handling of equipment.
That is why Bran (1990:7), gave the advice that safety awareness should be created in the management of all manufacturing organization no matter their size or level of growth.
It goes without saying that accident occurs in the Brewery industry and if not checked, will eventually affect the production or productive capacity of workers as well as the management of industry and in general. That is why, managers especially in Nigerian Brewery Industry 9th mile corner Enugu is fighting tooth and nail to make sure that they achieve the objective by working so hard to avoid some of the accident that act as an inhabitance towards achieving their objectives of the industry and economy in general. Having known that, accident prevents industries from accomplishing/achieving its objectives and goals.
The question should be what measures have management of Brewery industry taken to reduce it? If not total eradication of the rate of injury and accident occurrence in Nigerian Brewery industry plc 9th mile corner, Enugu.
Managers of NBL, should adopt measures to check individuals, employees and to ensure safeguard and protection against harzardous machines and accident in the working environment. Also, educating employees of safety programmes. Unfortunately, some manager’s look at safety programmes as an added cost to the organization.
In addition to this, Shublin in Udeze (2000:243), indicates that management should realize that reduction of accidents covers the high direct and indirect accident cost to more than pay for the expenses of continuing safety programme.
Nigerian government has two major legislation regarding safety of the workers. These provision are cleanliness, avoidance of overcrowding, adequate ventilation, safety wears, fencing of hazardous machinery. The second legislation is working compensation act. This place on obligation on employees to compensate employees on their dependants if the employee is injured at work. It is in the light of all these that the researchers are taking pain to find out the extent of impact of safety awareness by the management of NBL, 9th mile. Such awareness should be their ability to adopt some measures such as checking their employees in order to ensure that there is a safeguard and protection against hazardous machines and accident in their working environment and their ability in educating employees of safety programmes. From the above, we have seen some measures that have to be adopted that will serve as a guide in our subject matter.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
It is not in doubt that total eradication of accident or industrial hazards cannot be ascertained but measures have to be taken to reduce it to the barest minimum. Accident and hazards are inevitable phenomenon to human organization, but the concern of every rational and curious researcher is on the steps that should be applied to find the reasons of accident occurrence in NBL 9th mile which includes:
A. In appropriate admonition which is the major problems in NBL 9th mile you can imagine a situation, which in spite of various academic write ups, government concern and even workers agitation, accident continue to occur in the Brewery industry. Even though management and workers alike pay attention to industrial safety programme they have to administer it properly to its organization in order to avoid confusions to life that is both workers and property.
B. Lack of systematic health programme in an organization is another problem that is why, Anibata (1991) in his analysis opined that industrial workers depend on their employer, as being able to provide them with safety requirement needed for the work. Some organizations ignore that it not important to have a systematic health programme in an organization. Shublin (1957:271) stated that a well organized health and medical programmed contribute to an efficient labor force by reducing absenteeism and turn over.
C. Some managers are not aware of their role and responsibilities as regards to industrial safety and workers in NBL who should be disturbed to look into the causes of their injuries, maimed and incapacitated is as a result of industrial accident.
D. Management of NBL should consider good safety behaviour as a condition of employment that is, creating room for correction and adopting good performance.
E. Lastly, lack of well equipped medical clinic or hospital or outside consulting hospital for immediate attention if workers are injured in the work places. As stated earlier, safety consciousness of workers of NBL, should focus on mental and physical examination for all employees posed on health hazard or on other hand an expert in some areas of life. This will make workers of NBL work harder leaving the fears of danger behind them since medical measures have been provided.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
No organization whether big or small without an objective which they set out to achieve. In the same vein, the objectives of researchers in the area of industrial safety are as follows;
A. To find out the extent safety awareness by managers in Nigerian Brewery Plc 9th mile corner Enugu.
B. To know how conscious the staff is in handling machineries.
C. To find out the type of safety precaution practiced by the management of the NBL.
D. And finally, it is hoped that this study will through its findings provide some recommendations towards enhancing the safety consciousness of managers in the NBL 9th mile and Brewery industries in general.
1.4 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY
The high incidence of industrial accident an injuries in NBL and their effects has raised questions as to whether managers in the Brewery industries are really conscious of workers safety, hence the need for the study.
The study will prove to managers that every management no matter the level is always interested in result orientation and not activity orientation. And for management to accomplish result, they must work through and with healthy workers and not disabled or unhealthy workers.
However, the study is also destined to create awareness and only in NBL 9th mile but also in the economy as a whole. Again, change in the environment of a business as well as increasing organization complexitites, does not means that managers should be ignorant and inadaptable to the dynamism of nature.
This study will establish and bring to the knowledge of the managers the incompatibility of setting objectives (that is safety programmes) and management actualization (safety practice).
Notwithstanding, this study as a matter of principle, will help the entire organization not only the managers to gain superior edge to face the challenges ahead of them. This assertion cannot be disputed or compromised in any way.
Finally, it is hoped that this work will increase the materials available on this topic. Readers will appreciate other peoples view on the proper safety practice and also see the work ability of industrial safety in real situation.
1.5 THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study is an adequate statement of the problem also defines it in terms of its scope, and it is obvious for a researcher to set forth the bounds of the topic being researched on. This research work was done at the Nigerian Brewery Plc, 9th mile corner, Enugu. Invariably data was collected from the Brewery.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
From the above objectives of the study the following research questions have been raised:
A. To what extent can accident occurrence be attributed to safety unawareness by managers in the NBL Enugu?
B. What is the frequency of accident occurrence in the NBL 9th mile Enugu?
C. What type of safety measures does the NBL 9th mile practice?
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
In carrying out this research work, the following problems were encountered which prevented the researcher(s) from conveying a wide area for a generalization of results.
i. FINANCE: The high cost of material used in this research work constituted problems to the researcher, like the cost of stationary and printing of questionnaires.
ii. LACK OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES: The high fee of public transportation greatly influenced this research work as the researchers are not mobile and this is limited to the scope of area covered by this study.
iii. TIME FACTOR: A lot of time were consumed by the researchers together the required information since most of the tope management staff may simply inform the researchers to come back next time, not minding the limited time given to the researchers to complete the work.
iv. THE UNCO-OPERATIVE ATTITUDE OF SOME OF THE STAFF: Some of the staff refused to answer the questions in the questionnaire with some best known to them. Some were just unfriendly and thought the information being gathered were to be used against them.
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