Dissertation Abstracts
The Relationship between Safety Culture and Industrial Accidents: a Case Study of a Food Manufacturing Company in Nigeria
Author: Olawepo, Qudus O, wale.olawepo@gmail.com
Department: Sociology
University: University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Supervisor: Dr Mariam Seedat-Khan
Year of completion: In progress
Language of dissertation: English
Areas of Research: Organization , Agriculture and Food , Communication, Knowledge and Culture
Abstract
In Nigeria, the manufacturing sector is made up of 11 different sub-sectors (National Bureau of statistics, 2014). The food, beverage and tobacco sub-sector was the largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product in the manufacturing sector with 52.74% in 2013 out of the sector total according to the National Bureau of statistics. Despite these major contribution, the manufacturing sector in Nigeria had been described as unsafe for workers as a result of the perennial accidents. This is probably due to lax governmental regulations in the food manufacturing sector. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between safety culture and industrial accidents in a food manufacturing company in Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study include: 1) To assess employees’ perception of the relevance of safety in a food manufacturing company in Nigeria. 2) To establish the causes of accidents in a food manufacturing company in Nigeria. 3) To describe employees’ job (safety) behavior in a food manufacturing company in Nigeria. 4) To describe the safety management system in a food manufacturing company in Nigeria. 5) To explore the relationship between safety culture and accidents rate in a food manufacturing company in Nigeria.
To achieve these objectives, the researcher employed a mixed methodology research with a Case study design to gather data using three methods: questionnaires, interviews and documentary evidence. This part of the study consisted of the administration of questionnaires that assessed the respondents’ perception and expectation of safety in the organization. The stratify sampling method was used to select the respondents. A sample of 157 respondents was randomly selected from a population of 265 and 217 respondents from a population of 503 in two locations. Five managers were interviewed and the documentary evidence from the organization formed part of the qualitative study. The findings from the two methods were embedded together and discussed. The findings of the study were reported and the theoretical and management implications were discussed.