Occupational safety and health needs in Kenya: a qualitative exploration

There is an existing knowledge gap in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practice in Kenya. The scarcity of comprehensive research on Health and Safety (H&S) and emerging trends in the field evidence this gap. Lack of awareness has posed a major challenge in the management of H&S at work. Additionally, inadequate skilled professionals to deliver workplace H&S services has made many organisations in Kenya to adopt a culture that does not prioritise OSH. This has called for the need to identify the emerging OSH challenges in the country. According to previous data, there has been 7769 fatalities across all industry sectors in Kenya. This study explores the status of workplace H&S in Kenya, specifically on the identification of emerging OSH challenges and opportunities in the Kenyan context. The investigation profiles the knowledge, skills, and expertise among workplace Health and Safety Practitioners (HSPs) in Kenya, with the view of identifying training needs. The study used semi-structured interviews containing open-ended questions to collect qualitative data on the current and emerging risks to OSH in Kenya. The interviews involved 20 workplace HSPs identified from a data base containing a list of approved H&S advisers in Kenya. The thematic analysis of the interviews identified four main themes, namely, (i) Exposure to hazards (ii) Emerging risks (iii) Factors influencing OSH practice, and (iv) H&S training needs. The study established that there is a need to address the OSH challenges in Kenya to improve the management and practice of Health and Safety in the workplace.

Keywords: Occupational safety and health, Health and safety, Emerging risks, Training needs, Kenya