Assessment of Safety Knowledge among Food Processing Workers in Minna..

Abstract

Food processing sector is one of the fastest growing industries in Minna. Workers in the sector operate various kinds of machines which ex-posed them to accident. As at 2012, record shows that there were 12 fatal and 500 nonfatal accidents involving food processing factories in Minna. The aim of the study is to examine the knowledge of safety and health among the workers of the food processing factories. Three (3) food processing factories were selected for the study and Ten (10) workers were interviewed at each factory using a prepared well-structured questionnaire. A star ranking model was used in order to determine the level of understanding onsafety and health at their workplace. The result of the Star ranking model showed that the work-ers had a one star basic knowledge of safety and health at their workplace. Therefore it is recommended that food processing factories should comply with a wide array of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations to ensure safer working environment in food processing factories. The study found that safety training seminars and workshops could reduce injury rates at workplace.