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The Cart before the Horse: Safety and Health Management System among Chemical Industries in Bahir Dar City, Northwestern Ethiopia

Bayleyegn Ayalew Abebe

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the occupational safety and health management system among chemical industries in Bahir Dar city, the national regional state of the Amhara region.
Method: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in chemical industries from 31 March to 15 May 2019. The data were collected by using a self-structured and pilot-tested questionnaire from 242 chemical industry workers.
Results: The results of the study showed that there were no hazard identification system (72.1%), top management support for safety (75.8%), appropriate occupational safety and health training programs (75.8%), and had no written procedures to respond to emergencies (65.8%). Resulting from management failure, a significant number (85.5%) of workers never used personal protective equipment at their workplace due to unavailability (66.1%). The majority (53.0%) of chemical industry workers had no adequate knowledge about occupational safety and health. Moreover, the use of personal protective equipment in the chemical industries was significantly associated with sex, age, safety awareness, accessibility of safety equipment, and educational levels of workers (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Failure in establishing effective occupational safety and health system in the chemical industries was
observed in Bahir Dar city. Thus, chemical industries in city should be concerned about the effective implementation of occupational safety and health management system to ensure a healthy workplace and sustain legislative compliance.