CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1   BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY:
Industrialisation has been the engine of growth for most developing countries like Nigeria and because of that many successive governments strive to find ways and means for developing their industrial sector. The influence of an enduring employee’s safety on organisational productivity and loss control in the Nigerian construction industry cannot be over emphasized, especially in the areas of setting minimum safety management standards, safe work procedures and environmental management standards (Lourandos, 2008).
It is assumed that an organization’s employees safety measures have a direct relationship with employees’ productivity in view of the fact that assigned tasks can only be safely accomplished when the work environment is safe and conducive for the execution of the assigned duties, be it construction, manufacturing or servicing, thus, any phenomenon that affects human production capacity will invariably affect organizational productivity hence improving workers wellbeing offers a company the opportunity of enhancing its performance (Galliker, 2000).
Apart from the need to reduce or eliminate accidents, construction companies should inculcate safety measure in their workforce in order to satisfy legal, social, and moral obligations of the host community. Dorman (2000) argues that for companies to provide effective improvement of health, safety and environment conditions, the costs of ill-health/accidents must be economic, internal, variable and visible. Court (2003), in his contribution to corporate employees safety management sees the subject of safety as needed in every industry, he further argues that creating better work environment and preventing harm from work are the key means of improving productivity. Today, the matter of work-force safety at work is receiving worldwide attention. And Nigeria cannot be left out.
There is a high rate of industrial accidents and large-scale absenteeism occasioned by ill health (Kohn and Mark 1996). Some jobs are very hazardous and the common law requires every employer of labour to ensure that the work-force is safe and that employees doing hazardous work are protected adequately. In that case, safety at work must be pursued as a means of enhancing efficiency and quality of performance (Eze, 2006).
Hence, providing working conditions that promote the safety of employees is therefore becoming a major management concern. Barriers are introduced in the form of guards, clothing, protected areas and the like. Perhaps, equally important, reducing the accident potential of a work environment tends to increase the feelings of security and reducing anxiety levels. This in itself makes people less likely to have accidents because they are no longer distracted by their anxieties. Companies also use publicity campaigns, involving various personnel communication media and contests to promote safety (Cole, 1993). Contests typically provide financial reward to members of groups with low accident rates. The focus of these contests and the measures employed can vary considerably, but the essential ingredient is the idea that it pays to be safe. The influence of an enduring employee’s safety management on organisational productivity and loss control in the Nigerian industrial clime cannot be over emphasized. Hence, this research study investigated the impact of industrial health and safety management on workers’ productivity with special reference to Unilever Nig. PLC.