TITLE:
Work as a Source of Livelihood, Not Ill Health: Examining the Status of Occupational Health and Safety in Flower Farms in Central Uganda
AUTHORS:
Charles Omulo Owenda
KEYWORDS:
Flower Farms, Personal Protective Equipment, Agrochemicals, Rural Communities, Occupational Health and Safety, Chemical Exposures, Workers’ Health, Floriculture
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.3,
March
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: This study examines
Occupational Health and Safety implications in flower farms in Central Uganda. An exploratory sequential mixed method design
and methodology was employed, with multiple data collection methods including
interviews, focus group discussions and survey. The findings show that
occupational health and safety issues remain a major problem in flower farms.
While the majority of workers agreed that the farms provided them with
protective equipment, the data collected from the workers point at either the
improper use or ineffectiveness of the equipment. A number of workers reported skin irritations, sore and painful eyes, stiff
necks, back pains and occasional headaches that was presumably argued to
have arose from their work environment. The study also found that farms have
been adjusting in an attempt to correct some of these anomalies. These included
the use of biological approaches to control pests and diseases, restricting the
use of some chemical formulations that are deemed to be harmful to applicators
and environment. Alongside these efforts,
the study recommends increased vigilance by the flower farm owners in
the provision of personal protective equipment to workers.