Impact of occupational health and safety on worker productivity: A case of Zimbabwe food industry

Abstract

This research sought to assess the impact of occupational health safety (OHS) on productivity in the
commercial food industry. The objective of the study was to explore OHS problems of different work
areas and their impact on productivity. The research targeted production supervisors, shop floor
employees and industrial clinic nurses. Questionnaires, interviews and observations were used as
research instruments to collect data. The study found out that OHS related problems negatively affect
workers’ productive capacity in the food industry resulting in reduced worker output. Workers develop
a negative attitude and low morale towards work. High incidents of accidents at work also occur. The
study recommends that food industry factories should upgrade their OHS through training programmes
and use up-to-date equipment