Analyzing the Effect of Health and Safety Practices on Job Satisfaction: A Case Study of National Drug Authority

Abstract

Employees in the different medical fields are exposed to many hazards at their workplace and this is likely to influence their levels of job satisfaction if the correct measures are not put in place by their employers. The most affected employees are those who work in laboratories. The objective of this study was to determine the perceived influence of occupational health and safety practices on job satisfaction among employees of National Drug Authority. The research design was cross-sectional survey and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data which was analyzed using descriptive statistics including percentages and frequencies. Out of the targeted 57 respondents 54 completed their questionnaires representing a response rate of 95%. The research established that occupational health and safety practices influence job satisfaction. Majority of the respondents had a positive perception on the occupational health and safety practices that are in place. They agreed that accident prevention measures in place, wellness programs and health benefits provided by NDA were satisfactory. It established that employees were satisfied with the health benefits, emergency care given to workers injured while on duty. They were satisfied with the wellness programs, health campaigns, health and safety information availed to them, health and safety training and education as well. However, respondents were not as satisfied with the refresher training on health and safety as well as training during change of jobs. With all that, this shows there is a strong relationship between health and safety practices and job satisfaction. It was recommended that NDA facilitate more safety training to equip workers with safety skills which enable reduce accident rates at work and also boost the level of staff job satisfaction so as to keep up with the changing trends in the labor market.