ERGONOMIC EVALUATION AND LABOUR INSPECTION IN CLUSTER-SAWMILL IN PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA

• Main Authors: Gabriel Adetoye ADEDEJI, Adedapo Ayo AIYELOJA, Uloma Joy NWOSU
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Editura Universitatii Transilvania din Brasov 2016-06-01
• Series: Pro Ligno
• Subjects: ergonomic conditions; labour inspection; labour standards; sawmilling; sawmilling workers
• Online Access: http://www.proligno.ro/ro/articles/2016/2/adedeji.pdf
• ISSN: 1841-4737; 2069-7430

The regulations of labour standards in wood-based industries are not yet optimally observed in Nigeria. In this study, ergonomic conditions and level of compliance to labour standards were investigated. A sample of 50 respondents was purposively selected from ten systematically sampled sawmills in a band-sawmilling cluster comprised of around 18 functional mill units concentrated along the Sand filled dam bank of Mgbodara River, in the plain of Illaobuchi within the Port Harcourt City, Nigeria. Sawmilling tasks were strictly male (100%) dominated with 78% of workers within the activeage range (21-40 years). Of the four categories of workers identified, 72% performed one task and 28% performed dual tasks. The distance between the logs yard and the milling machine ranged between 12.8m and 30.0m in a slightly sloppy terrain. The machines were of age with 89% of them being under service for at least 5 years. Malaria (40%) was ranked 1st occasional sickness/disease and Rheumatism (2%) ranked least (6th). Similarly, body pain (76%) was ranked 1st frequent sickness/disease and Eye pain (4%) ranked least (6th). Exactly 90% of the workers had varied physical injuries. Hand/arm/wrist injury ranked 1st (40%), followed by leg/feet injury (32%), head/neck/eyes injury (10%), and Shoulder injury (8%) altogether with Saw Doctors mostly affected, and Log Rollers least affected. The results showed that Labour inspection with mandate to reduce these hazards was grossly inefficient. Such inefficiency directly contributed to high rate of hazards, absenteeism, shortage of workers and invariably low productivity. Academics and press incorporation into inspection system to report the range of health and safety practices of wood-based industries on regular basis will benefits the social and economic values of individuals, State and Nation at large.