Occupational safety and health status among workers of informal automotive garages in Eldoret Town, Kenya

Abstract

Background: The informal economy sprawl contributes to challenges in occupational safety. Assessing the extent of primary occupational safety and health services compliance in informal automotive garages informs tailored interventions to improve workplace safety standards and reduce health problems in the sector. Objective: The study’s specific objectives were to assess the extent of occupational health services’ implementation, common hazards, and work-related illnesses among workforces’ in the informal automotive garages. Method: A cross-sectional study of the informal automotive garages in Eldoret town was conducted between January and February 2021. Garage registration under Eldoret Juakali Association-North Rift served as the sampling frame, with finite population sampling of 130 workforces from 65 of the 80 registered garages. Stratified and systematic sampling of the eligible garages and purposive sampling of a manager/employer and a senior employee on duration of service was conducted in the survey. The study used a Likert scale questionnaire developed from the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007 guidelines for the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services on implementing occupational safety services. Quantitative data on occupational safety services implementation, hazard distribution, and work-related illnesses occurrence among the workforce were collected and analyzed using R statistical software version 3.6.3. Descriptive statistics were performed for occupational safety service implementation, hazard characteristics, and work-related illness. Simple linear regression was conducted to determine the association between occupational safety service coverage and work-related illnesses occurrence, using standard significance, α = 0.05, at 95% confidence interval. Results: Occupational safety services implementation was low (M = 2.33, SD = 0.64) in the informal auto garages. Twenty-six workshops (40%) conducted safety training, with a statistically significant difference in enterprise characteristics (type, p = 0.001; size, p = 0.020). Health surveillance, workplace inspection, and medical services were lacking in all the establishments. Physical (M = 4.00, SD = 1.64) and ergonomic (M = 4.00, SD = 1.73) hazards were the common occupational risks. Cuts/injuries (57.2%), musculoskeletal pain (52.5%), chest aches (49.2%), eye problems (45%), and breathing challenges (39.2%) were found to be the common work-related illnesses. The relationship between occupational safety coverage and workplace-related illnesses was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The informal automotive garages have low occupational safety services implementation. Inadequate primary occupational safety service coverage compromised workplace safety conditions indicated by high occupational hazards distribution and prevalence of work-related health problems among the garage workforces. Recommendations: Relevant bodies including garage owners to ensure standard occupational safety services’ implementation at worksites. Adequate occupational safety services coverage and inspection across the garages to foster adoption of standard health and safety practices in the workplaces would be beneficial in transforming the sector into a safe work environment.