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Occupational Health and Safety and Employee Engagement: Evidence from the SMEs Sector in Ghana

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Advances in Safety Management and Human Factors (AHFE 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 791))

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Abstract

Occupational health and safety and employee engagement literature have been studied independently. However, the need to integrate these streams of literature has now become apparent. This paper therefore seeks to address this gap by empirically testing the impact of occupational health and safety management on employee engagement in the small and medium-scaled enterprises in Ghana. A cross-sectional data from 136 employees were analysed to (dis)confirm our hypotheses. Results of the structural equation model revealed a positive effect of occupational health and safety on intellectual, social and affective engagement. However, among the dimensions of engagement, intellectual engagement was the criterion variable influenced most. The paper suggests that promoters of SMEs, owners and/or managers, should endeavour to treat the health and safety concerns of their employees with utmost priority in order to get the best out of them.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

    Michael Asiedu Gyensare

  2. University of Ghana Business School, Legon, Ghana

    Olivia Anku-Tsede

  3. University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

    Michael Asiedu Gyensare, Kwame Owusu Boakye & Evelyn Twumasi

Authors
  1. Michael Asiedu Gyensare
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  2. Olivia Anku-Tsede
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  3. Kwame Owusu Boakye
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  4. Evelyn Twumasi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olivia Anku-Tsede .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. DPS, School of Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal

    Pedro Miguel Ferreira Martins Arezes

Appendix: Measurement Scale

Appendix: Measurement Scale

Occupational health and safety management

  1. 1.

    I have enough time to complete my work tasks safely

  2. 2.

    If I notice a workplace hazard, I would point it out to management

  3. 3.

    At my workplace, systems are in place to identify, prevent and deal with health hazards.

  4. 4.

    At my workplace incidents and accidents are investigated quickly in order to improve workplace health and safety

  5. 5.

    At my workplace communication about workplace health and safety procedures is done in a way that I can understand

Intellectual engagement

  1. 1.

    I focus hard on my work

  2. 2.

    I concentrate on my work

  3. 3.

    I pay a lot of attention to my work

Social engagement

  1. 1.

    I share the same work values as my colleagues

  2. 2.

    I share the same work goals as my colleagues

  3. 3.

    I share the same work attitudes as my colleagues

Affective engagement

  1. 1.

    I feel positive about my work

  2. 2.

    I feel energetic in my work

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Gyensare, M.A., Anku-Tsede, O., Boakye, K.O., Twumasi, E. (2019). Occupational Health and Safety and Employee Engagement: Evidence from the SMEs Sector in Ghana. In: Arezes, P. (eds) Advances in Safety Management and Human Factors. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 791. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94589-7_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94589-7_21

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94588-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94589-7

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