Perceived risk and occupational accidents among employees in the oil and gas industry at the jubilee field in Takoradi

Abstract

This study aimed at examining the views of the employees on risks and occupational accidents among employees in the oil and gas industry at the Jubilee Field, Takoradi. There were four specific objectives which include to examine the level of awareness of the employees on risks, to examine the perceived occupational risk factors to which employees are exposed in their work environment, to examine the perceived most frequent types of occupational accidents and finally to examine the strategies employed by the management to address the risks and the occupational accidents in the oil and gas industry. The study was quantitative, and it was based on the views of 200 staff from the study area. A self-administered questionnaire was the main research instrument and the results were analysed using the SPSS (22.0 version) software. The findings have revealed that the employees were aware of the risks they face particularly environmental and protection, but little was known about management, political and operational risks. In terms of risk factors, the study revealed that most of the employees had the perceptions that they were more exposed to chemical and psychosocial hazards whilst their perceptions on physical, ergonomical and biological were modest. In the case of the accidents, almost all the employees (98%) were convinced that accidents often take place with the frequent ones being pipeline & gasoline storage area explosions, gas blow out and fuel inhalation. In the light of these finding, it was recommended that management should focus on placing measures to mitigate these risks and accidents with most among them including training, physical activities, and implementation of the OHS Policies.