Industrial Safety and Management in Machine Shop: A Case Study of Secondi-Takoradi Kokompe Industrial Area

ABSTRACT This study looked at how shop owners and artisans at Kokompe, in Sekondi - Takoradi Industrial Area managed safety in machine shops. The study employed a case study as its research design. The population consisted of shop owners, factory inspectors, and artisans (auto body builders and welders). The sample size of ninety - six (96) comprised twenty - one (21) shop owners, one (1) factory inspector and seventy - four (74) artisans totalling ninety - six (96) purposively selected from the Kokompe Industrial Area of Sekondi - Takoradi. Three sets of questionnaires were prepared and used to collect data for the study. The data was analyzed using Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v16). The findings of the study revealed that 52 (54.7%) of the respondents admitted that accidents do occur at the machine shops and the frequency is very high 67 (70.5%). Among the common accidents they encountered were cuts, hammering of hands and burns recorded respectively. It was found out that generally the common accidents were as a results of inexperience, inattentiveness/carelessness and unsafe acts and unsafe conditions. The study concluded that the artisans work in poor ergonomic posture. The study also concluded that some effects of accidents in the workshop that affects the artisans are; loss of man hours, absenteeism, body pains, deformities, high cost of treatment. Based on the findings, it is recommended that training and refresher courses should be organized using simulations or scenarios at the work place for both new recruits and regular workers respectively. The master/shop-owner should enforce that all the new apprentices coming should come with their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before allowing them to start the work.