An Analysis of Occupational Safety and Health of Employees: A Case Study of Harare City Council, Department of Roads.

Author

Musabayana Lawrence Ivainashe, Mandizvidza Tafadzwa, Dr Chipo Mutongi

Abstract

  Public service delivery from local authorities in Zimbabwe is inconsistent as a result of numerous constraints in the civil service structures and economic constraints that lead to shortage of government resources amongst other factors to adequately finance those services. There is a scarcity of literature elucidations on the safety and health of road works department activities and operations especially with the strain from the Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, we investigated the occupational health and safety of employees within Harare City Council focusing on employees from the Roads Department. The study used interpretivism research philosophy, as it was a case study that took a qualitative approach. Over 60% of respondents alluded that most occupational accidents in the department were to a lesser extent emanating from personal negligence but to a larger extent a result of their working environment and equipment provided by the employer. We recommend continuous specialized training to employees. The employer should provide adequate personal protective clothing/ equipment and ensuring that the working conditions of employees are conducive.

Keywords

Covid-19, Safety and health, Occupational accidents, Working conditions

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Declaration 

• Originality: We declare that this article is an original work and has not been published previously in any form.
• Authorship: We confirm that all authors have made a significant contribution to the article and meet the criteria for authorship.
• Conflict of Interest: We declare that there is no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, that may have influenced the outcome of this work.
• We confirm that this study was conducted in accordance with relevant ethical guidelines and regulations.
• Data Availability: We declare that the data used in this study are available upon request.
• Plagiarism: We declare that this article does not contain any plagiarized material.