OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AMONG AUTO-ARTISANS IN SUAME MAGAZINE-KUMASI, GHANA

ABSTRACT Auto-artisanship plays a critical role in the economy of Ghana. It forms a large size of the informal economy in Ghana. The occupational health and safety of auto-artisans is therefore of exceptional concern because of their potential exposure to toxic chemicals, the tools and methods they apply, and the unregulated settings in which they operate. Even though some research work has been done to examine the safety of auto-artisans at the Suame magazine enclave, such studies focused on a few selected artisanal trades. In contrast, the current study sought to assess occupational health and safety among auto-artisans engaged in all the artisanal trades existing at the enclave with the aim to contribute to the broader understanding of workplace safety among auto-artisans in Suame magazine. The study was guided by the positivist philosophy. The protection motivation theory and DEFENS Study conceptual framework were employed for the study. Survey (N=957) and 58 observations were used to generate data for the study. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Twenty-nine auto-artisanal trades were identified at the enclave. It was also found that orientation on workplace safety is organised for new auto-artisans. Orientation on OHS was found to influence awareness of workplace hazards but not perception of risk of job. While organisational factors were found to be associated with safety practices among auto-artisans, they were not found to be associated with willingness to pay for occupational health and safety services. It is recommended that there should be intensive education on occupational health and safety among auto-artisans in Suame Magazine