The Effect of Occupational Health and Safety Policies on Employee Performance, in the Transport Industry: A Case Study of Transtrac Uganda Limited Kampala.

Abstract

ATENGE REBECCA (2011 – M102 - 40003) The Effect of Occupational Health and Safety Policies on Employee Performance, in the Transport Industry: A Case Study of Transtrac Uganda Limited Kampala. The study investigated the effect of occupational health and safety policies on employee performance at Transtrac Uganda Limited. It was guided by three objectives which were: to find out how the forms of health and safety policies affect employee performance; to assess the effect of adherence to safety and health policies on employee performance; and to establish the relationship between occupational health and safety policies and employee performance. A case study design was applied to collect and present data collected from 74 respondents. Pearson correlation matrix was applied to generate the results of the study objectives. The study showed distinctive results for the relationship between occupational health and safety policies dimensions and employee performance. From the findings it was clear that occupational health and safety policies determined employee performance in the transport sector in regard to quality of work, work turnover and task accomplishment. In conclusion, all the findings on the relationships between occupational health and safety policies (worker compensation policy, plant and equipment policy and employee protection policy) revealed significant effect on employee performance. The findings confirmed that occupational health and safety policies were a major determinant of employee performance at Transtrac Uganda Limited. The study recommends, therefore, that the management of Transtrac offers specialised health and safety policies to staff in the area of transport so as to foster policies on worker compensation, plant and equipment and employee protection. The study also recommends that in order to improve employee performance, the company needs to provide adequate awareness on health and safety. This could be through encouraging employees to form their own occupational health and safety committees which are not often instituted by the management. The company administration should initiate and implement special training to employees on how to manage and utilise occupational health and safety guidelines. Key Words: Occupational Health, Safety Policies, Employee Performance, Transport Industry.