Influence of Occupational Health and Safety Practices on Employee Productivity in Kenya Tea Development Agency: A Case of KTDA Managed Factories in Nyamira County-Kenya.

Abstract

: Literature from various parts of the world has identified that occupational health and safety (OHS) occupies a pivotal position in enhancing employee productivity, as a result, the interdependence between working conditions and productivity is increasingly recognized all over the world. Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has had active OHS programs long before they were made mandatory by law but in spite of this, it is still experiencing high incident of employee injuries, high cost of compensation claims and reduced productivity. Research findings by various researchers show that there is a significant relationship between OHS practices and employee productivity but none has explored the extent to which productivity is affected by OHS practices. The purpose of this research was to find out the influence OHS practices on employee productivity in KTDA, Nyamira County. The research objectives that guided the study included; to determine the influence of OHS regulations on employee productivity in KTDA, to establish the influence of workplace safety inspections on employee productivity in KTDA and to investigate the influence of OHS induction and training on employee productivity in KTDA. To achieve the study objectives, descriptive survey research design was used. Questionnaires were distributed to 173 respondents out of which 160 completed and returned, giving 92.5% questionnaire return rate.  The collected data was analyzed using mean, standard deviations, correlation and regression. Data was presented using tables. The study found out that employee productivity is influenced by all variables under study; OHS regulations, workplace safety inspections and OHS induction and training. The study concluded that OHS induction and training influence employee productivity to a great extent, followed by workplace safety inspections and then OHS regulations. The study recommends continuous improvement of OHS practices as they influence employee productivity.