Accident and Safety Violation in Automobile Repair Workshops in Ghana-Libre

International Journal of Business, Management and Social Sciences
Vol. 4, No. 1, 2013, pp. 12-21
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Accident and safety violation in automobile repair workshops in Ghana

Maxwell S. Akple*, Richard Fiifi Turkson, Robert Biscoff, Godwin Y. Nyamuame
*
Corresponding Author: Address: Ho Polytechnic, Mechanical Engineering Dept., P.O. Box HP 217, Ho, Volta Region, GHANA.
*
Corresponding Author: e-mail: oomaxi@yahoo.com
Abstract
Occupational accidents in developing countries such as Ghana could be minimized if workers adhere to safety rules and
regulations. In this study, accident risk factors within some selected automobile repair workshops in Ghana were assessed for
adherence and violation. There were two stages of data collection. First, an observational study was conducted to identify safety
regulations adhered to and violated. Second, 375 questionnaires were administered to mechanics from local garages, government
institution garages and international automobile company garages. The study showed that the use of faulty tools and equipment,
workers physical condition and non compliance to standard safety rules and regulations were the main causes of accidents in
automobile repair workshops. However, failure to wear personal protective equipment (PPE)/gear the use of appropriate wedges
to prevent rolling of tires when working on vehicles and the provision of fire extinguishers in the shop area in case of a fire
outbreak were the most violated safety regulations. To prevent or minimize frequent occurrence of accidents, the respondents
mentioned that safety seminars should be conducted on regular basis so as to keep them informed about standard safety
practices.
Keywords: Accident, Safety, Violation, Garage, Ghana.
1. Introduction
1.1 Background
Mechanics are a key human resource in the automobile industry in every economy. In developing countries such as Ghana, most
mechanics are in the informal sector with a marginal number of them being employed in the formal and government institutions to
be in charge of the organizations automobile workshops. Their key roles include maintenance and repair of vehicles. Similar tasks
are being performed in India by automobile repair workers. Tasks such as vehicle spraying and painting, repair of vehicle parts,
body cleaning, welding services and general work are performed by automobile repairers (Vyas et al., 2011). These activities are
not without hazards and therefore it is important to apply safety rules and regulations. An accident is usually an unplanned and
unexpected event which results from a mistake somewhere, somehow and by somebody (Aniekwu, 2007). There are several risks
which causes accidents in the automobile repair workshops. Mechanics (or workers) in the automobile industry are exposed to a lot
of occupational health risks. Some of these risks include exposure to hot noisy environments, presence of dust, fumes, oils, grease
and other chemicals, strenuous work postures, the use of improperly designed tools and machinery and working in poor psychosocial environments (Hunt et al., 2000; ILO, 2000; Rongo et al., 2004). For instance a study conducted in Tanzania shows that
auto body workers are exposed to hazardous particulates or vapours from grinding, cutting, welding, car preparation, and spray
painting processes in the auto body shops is well established (Rongo, 2004). Taha (2000) also indicated that workers in automechanics, including welders, are exposed to asbestos, metal dust, organic solvents, paint pigments and automobile exhausts,
which pose serious risks to their health. Therefore adherence to safety rules and regulation to reduce occupational risks and
hazards within the automobile repair workshops is very important.
Almost all industries have safety regulations which help to prevent accidents or reduce it to its barest minimum and this applies
to the automobile workshop. This is because the occurrence of accidents within an industry whether fatal or non-fatal causes
suffering to the victim(s), waste funds and resources and time of the industry or owner of the workshop. It is therefore essential
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Akple et al. / International Journal of Business, Management and Social Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2013, pp. 12-21
for automobile workers to adhere to safety regulations to reduce occupational accidents. Furthermore, studies show that mechanics
have higher rates of occupational health hazards compared to workers in other occupations (Valuri and Routley, 1994; Leung,
1978). In developing countries such as Ghana, enforcement of automobile workshop safety regulations is lacking especially the
local garages. Most of these workshops are in the informal sector and their owners or supervisors were apprentice trainees. They
lack the requisite knowledge in automobile workshop safety regulations. However, automobile workshops of government
organizations or institutions are supervised by professionally trained automobile engineers who have appropriate and adequate
knowledge in automobile workshop safety. The international automobile companies have standard automobile workshops where
safety regulations are maintained and enforced.
A report from International Labour Office shows that hundreds of thousands of accident cases were recorded in workshops
(World of Work Report, 2012). These included automobile repair workshops of which some of the accident cases resulted into
deaths. However, in developing countries such as Ghana, occupational risk factors in the informal sectors are not well documented.
In addition, most of the local artisans working in the informal automobile sector are not well educated and often uninformed
regarding safety practices and risks involved in violating these practices. Therefore this study sought to investigate accidental risk
factors within some selected automobile repair workshops in Ghana for adherence and violation of safety rules and regulations.
1.2 The automobile repair workshops in Ghana
The most common automobile repair workshop in Ghana is the local garages where a group of automotive mechanics come
together to offer automotive maintenance and repair services. They operate under the informal sector with normally one master
owning the shop. The shop is normally built on a piece of land hired from a landlord. A typical local automobile repair workshop
has master mechanics that have different specialization in automotive systems. They include automotive electrician, automotive
mechanic, welder, brake binder, interior vehicle liner, body sprayer etc. However, in Ghana, a classical local automobile repair
workshop has not less than three master mechanics in their specialized areas of automotive electrical, automotive mechanic and
brake binder. Each master normally has apprentice trainees who are studying under them. Similar study conducted by Adei et al.
(2011) in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana also indicated that about 54% of sprayers including auto body sprayers,
practiced their work in the open air but stored their solvents and equipment in small wooden structures, 13.3% of sprayers
practiced in a wooden structure which served as their workshop, and also storage place for their solvents and equipment.
Another group of automobile repair workshops are garages owned by one person but employs automotive mechanics specialized
in different areas. Automobile repair workshops belonging to this category are few in number relative to individual masters
owning their garages. They are also engaged in the repair and maintenance of vehicles. Workshops owned by international
automobile companies are also opened to the general public for general vehicle repair and maintenance but most people do not
patronize their services because of the relatively high fees charged. In Ghana, vehicle owners prefer local automobile workshops
for carrying out repair and replacement of parts. This is usually because of proximity and low service charges.
2. Methods
2.1 Study area description
The study was carried out in five regions in Ghana, where automobile repair workshops especially local garages were dominant.
The researchers classified the automobile repair workshops into three categories. Category A consists of local repair workshops
which are very common and normally patronized by almost all vehicle owners. Category B repair workshops are those that belong
to the international automobile companies such as Silver Star Ltd, Toyota Ghana Ltd, Rana motors, Mechanical Lloyed, PHC
Motors etc. Because of the high safety standards ensured in these companies, accidents are rarely recorded. Category C comprises
of automobile repair workshops in government organizations or institutions such as Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of
Health, Ghana Water Company Ltd, Ghana Audit Service etc. In these organizations, there are automobile repair workshops where
the vehicles of the institutions are repaired and maintained. Most of these workshops are not opened to public vehicle owners for
servicing.
2.2 Data collection techniques
The study used multi approach techniques in data collection. It involved observation and questionnaire administration to workers
from each category of automobile repair workshops identified. This approach was used because of its complementary effect of
strengths and weaknesses associated with each method. This approach was chosen to increase the validity of the study by enriching
the scope, depth and knowledge derived from the data.
2.2.1 Observations
Observations were made by the researchers by visiting the three categories of the automobile repair workshops identified four
times on different occasions informally. During the trip, factors causing accidents, most violated safety rules and accident
prevention factors were observed within the automobile repair workshops. These factors were recorded on an observational chart.
14
2.2.2 Survey
A pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaires to some mechanics outside the selected regions. Identified mistakes were
corrected and questions rephrased to avoid ambiguity. The questionnaires were administered to respondents from the three
categories of automobile repair workshops identified. The questionnaire comprised both the open and close ended questions.
Questions were centred on contributing occupational accident factors, most violated safety rules and accident prevention factors.
2.3 Sampling
In all, 375 automobile repair workers who responded to the questionnaire make up the sample size. Two hundred and ninety five
(295) respondents were local garage workers, seventy (70) respondents were from government institutions or organizations with
automobile repair workshops and ten (10) respondents from international automobile companies. The respondents from the local
garages were selected randomly whiles the transport officers and workshop supervisors were purposively selected for garages of
government institutions and international automobile companies respectively. The sampling size was strongly influenced by
willingness of respondents to participate in the studies especially at the international automobile companies.
2.4 Data analysis
The questionnaires were edited, coded and entered into Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 16 software where
the responses tabulated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to establish whether significant differences existed
between accident and safety factors.
3. Results
3.1 Demographics of respondents
The study shows that most of the respondents (95.2%) were males whiles 4.8% were females. This is not surprising because
most repair works in the automobile workshops in Ghana are carried out by males. The respondents had different educational
levels with most of them (28.8%) being basic educational certificate holders (Table 1). Furthermore, most of the respondents who
had up to tertiary education were the ones working in the government institutions automobile garages and international
automobile companies. The study further indicated that respondents had various positions at their workshops with most of them
being apprentices (44%) as shown in Table 2.
Table 1: Demographic characteristics of respondents
Characteristics
Frequency
Percentage
Educational level
Basic
108
28.8
Secondary/ Technical
102
27.2
Tertiary
74
19.7
Informal
91
24.3
Position
Workshop supervisors
32
8.5
Chief Mechanic
91
24.3
Apprentice
165
44.0
Foremen
9
2.4
Master Mechanic
78
20.8
3.2 Causes of accidents
Occurrence of accidents hinders the progress of work at the time of incidence and sometimes has future implications. This is
because accident victims would have to be attended to. The study clearly shows that most respondents (58.4%) said they have
witnessed various forms of accidents in automobile repair workshop. The commonest form of accidents witnessed by most
respondents was burning of cars at the workshop (Table 2). However, majority of respondents (62%) mentioned that accidents do
not occur frequently but once in a while and most often caused by negligence on the part of mechanics.
Using a five-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3=Indifferent, 4= Agree and 5 = Strongly Agree)
respondents were requested to rate their degree of agreement against each of the identified common causes of accidents from
literature. The mean ratings by the respondents from the three categories of automobile repair workshops were shown in Table 3.
The analysis of the data produced the means for these accident causing factors ranging from 1.88 to 4.00. This indicated that some
respondents disagree that some of the factors were not accident causing factors. But most respondents agree that majority of the
factors are accident causing factors. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows that, generally there were significant differences (p
15
0.05) between accident causing factors in the three categories of repair workshops sampled. However, Least Significant Difference
(LSD) analysis indicated that most accident causing factors between repair workshops B and C were almost the same.
Table 2: Forms of accidents witnessed by respondents
Forms of accidents witnessed
Frequency
Explosion of chemicals
23
Tyre burst due to over inflation
5.0
Slipping of jack under the car
40
Fire outbreak
17
Accidental burning of vehicle at the workshop
42
Tyre removed due to untightened wheel nut.
35
Tyre burst
18
Hand grinding machine took off the finger of a worker
6.0
Acid explosion
6.0
Battery explosion
12
Chips of material entered into the eye of a worker
6.0
Car moved because wedges were not used
6.0
Machine broken hand of a worker
3.0
Total
219
Percentage
10.5
2.3
18.3
7.8
19.2
16.0
8.2
2.7
2.7
5.5
2.7
2.7
1.4
100.0
Table 3: Causes of accidents in automobile repair workshops

Causes of accidents
Category of repair workshops
(Mean responses)
A
B
C
Use of faulty tools and equipment
3.25
4.00
3.01
Non compliance to standard safety rules and regulation
3.19
3.60
3.67
Lack of experience
3.57
3.60
3.66
3.03
3.30
3.00
Improper handling and storage of flammables, explosives and
combustible
Improper handling of tools and equipment
3.04
3.30
3.33
Workers fatigue and boredom
3.09
3.30
2.99
Attitude of management and actions towards safety
2.77
2.80
3.33
Workers operating environment
2.89
4.00
3.33
Natural causes
2.49
3.30
3.33
Inadequate working environment
2.67
3.60
2.99
Workers physical condition
3.67
2.40
2.97
Lack of job satisfaction by workers
2.46
2.40
2.33
Monotony (constant exposure to a particular job)
1.88
2.40
3.34
Category A represents local automobile repair workshops
Category B represents international automobile repair workshops
Category C represents government institutions automobile repair workshops
The local mechanics ranked workers physical condition as the highest accident causing factor in their repair workshops (mean
= 3.67). This was considered as the most influential factor since their task depends on the health and strength of workers (Table
4).Lack of experience (mean= 3.57) was considered as the second accident causing factor in the local repair workshops. The
third factor was use of faulty tools and equipment (mean = 3.25), whereas the fifth ranked was non compliance to standard
safety rules and regulation (mean = 3.19); the sixth factor was workers fatigue and boredom (mean = 3.09). These six (6) factors
were the top accident causing factors in the local automobile repair workshops in Ghana.
The highest ranked accident causing factors by respondents from international automobile repair workshops were use of faulty
tools and equipment (mean = 4.00) and workers operating environment (mean = 4.00). Non compliance to standard safety
rules and regulation (mean = 3.60), lack of experience (mean = 3.60) and inadequate working environment (mean = 3.60) were
both ranked as the second accident causing factors in their workshops. The sixth ranked factor was improper handling and storage
of flammables, explosives and combustible (mean = 3.30). These six factors were considered the commonest accident causing
factors among the 13 factors in their repair workshops (Table 5).
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Table 4: Ranking of the accident causing factors by respondents from roadside automobile repair workshops
Causes of accidents
Mean
Rank
3.67
1
Lack of experience
3.57
2
3.25
3
3.19
4
3.09
5
3.04
6
Improper handling and storage of flammables, explosives and
3.03
7
combustibles
2.89
8
2.77
9
2.67
10
Natural causes
2.49
11
2.46
12
1.88
13
Table 5: Ranking of the accident causing factors by respondents from international automobile dealers repair workshops
Causes of accidents
Mean
Rank
4.00
1
4.00
2
3.60
3
Lack of experience
3.60
4
3.60
5
Improper handling and storage of flammables, explosives and combustibles
3.30
6
3.30
7
3.30
8
Natural causes
3.30
9
2.80
10
2.40
11
2.40
12
2.40
13
According to respondents from government institution repair workshops, non compliance to standard safety rules and
regulation (mean = 3.67) was the highest ranked accident causing factor, followed by lack of experience (mean = 3.66), and
monotony (mean = 3.34). Improper handling of tools and equipment (mean = 3.33), attitude of management and actions
towards safety (mean = 3.33) and workers operating environment (mean =3.33) were the top six ranked accident causing
factors by respondents from government institution repair workshops (Table 6). The result clearly shows that respondents from
each category of automobile repair workshop ranked the accident causing factors differently.
Table 6: Ranking of the accident causing factors by respondents from government institutions automobile repair workshops
Causes of accidents
Mean
Rank
3.67
1
Lack of experience
3.66
2
3.34
3
3.33
4
3.33
5
3.33
6
Natural causes
3.33
7
3.01
8
Improper handling and storage of flammables, explosives and combustibles
3.00
9
2.99
10
2.99
11
2.97
12
2.33
13
17
3.3. Most violated safety regulations

In every working sector, especially where workers are exposed to potential accident causing factors, safety regulations are
normally put in place to prevent or reduce the occurrence of accidents. These regulations are enhanced by supervisors of
workshops and could result in dismal of employees if they flout some of these regulations especially in developing countries. The
study shows that most respondents (52.5%) mentioned that they observed safety measures at automobile repair workshops, 6.4%
said they do not observe any safety measures whiles 41.1% stated that they sometimes observed safety measures.
Respondents were requested to do a self-assessment of the violation of safety rule factors in their various workshops. These rules
were obtained from literature as the commonest safety regulations in automobile repair workshops. The self assessment ratings
used were 1 Strongly fits me (SFM), 2 Moderately fits me (MFM), 3 Fits me (FM) and 4- Does not fit me (DFM). The study
indicated that the most violated safety regulations were ranked between mean of 4.00 to 1.35. This implies that self assessment by
respondents were from does not fit me (mean = 4) to moderately fitted me (1.35). ANOVA analysis shows that significant
differences (p 0.05) existed between mostly violated safety regulations between the three repair workshops sampled. This
implies that safety regulations violated within these workshops differ from each workshop.
Table 7: Most violated safety regulations
Most violated safety regulations
Lack of first aid box or attendant

Failure to wear personal protective equipment (PPE)
Lack of hydraulic cranes for lifting engines
Poor general site conditions
Improper handling and storage of inflammable explosives and combustibles
Absence or inadequate fencing of site perimeter
Use of wedges to prevent the rolling of tires when working on vehicles
Use of axle stands when working underneath a vehicle
Smoking when working on a vehicle
There is fire extinguisher in the shop area in case of emergency
Category of repair
workshops
(Mean responses)
A
B
C
1.46
3.02
1.99
1.35
2.80
2.36
2.99
2.60
2.67
2.58
3.70
4.00
2.12
4.00
3.34
2.41
4.00
4.00
3.39
2.45
2.66
3.25
2.80
2.33
2.86
4.00
4.00
3.19
3.60
1.66
The results showed that the use of wedges to prevent rolling of tires when working on vehicles (mean = 3.39), use of axle
stands when working underneath a vehicle (mean = 3.25) and fire extinguisher in the shop area in case of emergency (mean =
3.19) were the first three safety regulations that did not fit them (i.e. safety regulations local mechanics always adhere to) (Table
7). Similar study carried out in Kumasi, Ghana shows that only 7 % of the workshops possessed fire extinguishers. This result was
in line with result from this study that most of the local automobile repair workshops lack fire extinguishers. It was however,
observed that some of the fire extinguishers were found to be empty making these workshops susceptible to fire hazards and
property loss in case of fire outbreak. The strongly fitted safety regulation was failure to wear personal protective equipment
(PPE) (mean = 1.35) (Table 8). This implies that most local mechanics violate the rule of wearing safety personal protective
equipment when working. This is because most of the local mechanics were of the opinion that protective equipment must be
provided by their masters or owners of the workshops.
Table 8: Ranking of the most violated safety regulation by local mechanics
Mean
The use of wedges to prevent rolling when working on vehicle
3.39
3.25
3.19
Use of hydraulic crane for lifting engine
2.99
2.86
2.58
2.41
2.12
1.46
1.35
Ranking
1
3
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
18
According to respondents from international automobile companies, improper handling and storage of inflammable explosives
and combustible (mean = 4.00), absence or inadequate fencing of site perimeter (mean = 4.00) and smoking when working on
a vehicle (mean = 4.00) were ranked as the first three safety regulations which does not fit their workshops (Table 9). This
implies that these safety regulations are not violated but properly adhered to. Nevertheless, using wedges to prevent rolling of tires
when working on the vehicle (mean = 2.45) was the most safety regulation which moderately fit the international automobile
company workshops. This means that it is not always that wedges are used when mechanics are working on a vehicle.
Table 9: Ranking of the most violated safety regulation by respondents from international automobile companies
Mean
Ranking
Improper handling and storage of inflammable explosives and combustible
4.00
1
4.00
2
4.00
3
3.70
4
3.60
5
3.02
6
2.80
7
Use of jackstands when working underneath a vehicle
2.80
8
Use of hydrulic crane for lifting engine
2.60
9
Use of wedges to prevent rolling of tires when working on vehicle
2.45
10
The study indicated that poor general site conditions, absence or inadequate fencing of site perimeter and smoking when
working on a vehicle with a mean of 4.00 for all does not fit government institution workshops (Table 10). These safety
regulations were the ones that respondents from government institution workshops adhered to. Nonetheless, lack of fire
extinguishers and first aid boxes were the commonest safety regulations mostly violated at the government institution automobile
repair workshops.
Table 10: Ranking of the most violated safety regulation by respondents from government institutions workshops
Safety violated safety regulations
Mean
Ranking
4.00
1
4.00
2
4.00
3
3.34
4
Use of hydraulic crane for lifting engine
2.67
5
Use of wedges to prevent rolling of tires when working on vehicle
2.66
6
2.36
7
2.33
8
1.99
9
1.66
10
3.4 Accident prevention factors
Prevention of accidents in institution requires knowledge concerning accident causing factors. This knowledge is normally
acquired through orientation and training of employees (or workers) exposed to such accidents. This study shows that only 40% of
the respondents had orientation and training on accident prevention at the various automobile repair workshops considered.
According to the respondents, they had training on different aspects of accident prevention. They included personal and workshop
safety (56%), fire outbreak prevention and first aid (20%), use of appropriate tools and equipment (24%). The self assessment
concerning accident prevention factors was carried out using a five-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree,
3=Indifferent, 4= Agree and 5 = Strongly Agree). The respondents were requested to rate their degree of agreement against each of
the accident prevention measures from literature.
The study shows that accident prevention factors were ranked from 3.00 to 4.00, an indication of agreeing and strongly agreeing
that these factors could actually prevent accidents in the automobile repair workshops. The local mechanics ranked conducting of
periodic safety seminars (mean = 3.47) as the main factor to prevent accidents at their workshops (Table 11). According to Adei
et al. (2011) only 10 % of their respondents indicated that, they received annual job training from Sikkens a paint manufacturing
company, for auto body repairs and other spraying works however there were others who were motivated to attend Sikkens
training programmes periodically because of the problems they were confronted with in their practice.
For respondents from international automobile companies, special safety instruction for particular jobs (mean = 4.00) was the
factor strongly agreed on to prevent accidents in their workshops.
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Table 11: Accident prevention factors

Accident prevention factors
Provision of safe storage of flammables, explosive and combustibles

Use of experienced or senior apprentices to enforce safety rules
Encouragement of strict compliance to workshop safety rules
Conducting of periodic safety seminars
Use of safety posters, safety instructional cards, warning signs etc.
Special Safety instruction for particular jobs
Category of repair
workshops
(Mean responses)
A
B
C
3.33
3.00
3.66
3.19
3.70
3.00
3.21
3.30
3.66
3.47
3.60
3.66
3.00
3.40
3.66
3.09
4.00
3.66
Furthermore, respondents from government institution workshops agreed that all the accident prevention factors have equal
weights in preventing accidents at their workshops with use of experienced or senior apprentices to enforce safety rules (mean =
3.00) being the least ranked. Thus respondents from all the workshops studied have agreed that these accident prevention factors
were very essential in preventing occurrence of accidents. This was confirmed by the ANOVA analysis that there was no
significant difference (p > 0.05) in the accident prevention factors for the repair workshops.
4. Discussion
The repair and maintenance of vehicles is considered one of the occupations with high potential health risks. This is because the
workers are exposed to various accident related factors such as load lifting, improper work posture, the use of hazardous chemicals
etc which could easily result into accidents if workers fail to adhere to workshop safety regulations. The results from the study
indicated that most of the respondents had basic education certificates because they were not able to further their education and
resort to learning automobile repairs through apprenticeship. This is a common practice in Ghana. However, this level of education
should be enough for an individual to understand and adhere to safety regulations in workshops. In this study, more than 95% of
the respondents were males because automobile repair work is considered masculine job. Thus the female respondents were mostly
vehicle sprayers and electricians.
The major accident witnessed by most respondents was accidental burning of vehicles at workshops. Accidental burning of
vehicles at automobile repair workshops could come from many sources. According to some respondents, poor electrical network
(or wiring) in vehicles is the commonest cause of vehicular fires. The results indicated that local mechanics ranked workers
physical condition as the main cause of accident in their workshops. Local automobile repair workers need some amount of
strength to carry out their activities because most of the works are done manually since they lack most mechanical facilities in their
workshop. Hence mechanics believe the absence of these facilities is the cause of most accidents in their workshops. According to
Vyas et al., (2011) strenuous postures, physically demanding task situations and manual material handling jobs possibly lead to
pain, muscular tiredness and fatigue amongst automobile repair workers and increased their risk of occupational accidents leading
to injury11). The international automobile companies have standard workshops with modern equipment for easy diagnosis of faults.
According to them, the use of faulty tools and equipment and workers operating environment were ranked as the topmost accident
risk factors in their workshops. This could be true since tools are designed such that they are used for a specific task. Studies
showed that improperly designed tools were associated with occupational accidental and hence injury (Mital, 1998; Goldenhar et
al., 2003). Furthermore, most automobile repair workshops in Ghana are noisy especially where there is a host of them. A study
by Fogleman et al. (2005) showed that noisy environments might induce work related injuries by causing communication barriers,
attention and concentration problems, memory impairments, stress and extreme fatigue (Foglema et al., 2005). Hot environments
gave rise to cognitive decrements that resulted in unsafe behaviors at work and thereby increased occupational injury risk and
accidents (Lombard et al., 2007). To minimize accident in automobile repair workshops, compliance to standard safety rules and
regulations is very important. Respondents from Government institution repair workshops ranked non compliance to standard
safety rules and regulation as the main cause of accidents in their workshops. This implies that if safety rules and regulations are
adhered to, occurrence of accidents would drastically reduce.
In every standard automobile repair workshop, the workers are supposed to be exposed to safety rules and regulations. These
rules when followed properly would minimize accidents in the workshops. However, observation by the researchers and informal
interviews with some automobile repair workers indicated that most of them were not aware of these safety rules. Those who even
had some level of knowledge concerning occupational safety even violate a lot them especially the local mechanics. One common
occupational safety measure is the wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to prevent injury to body parts in case of
accident. Failure to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) was the key safety regulation being violated by local automobile
repair workers in Ghana. This assessment is correct since most local automobile repair workers do not wear safety protective
equipment while working. Informal interview with some of them showed that they were aware about the risk involved in not
20
wearing PPEs while working but intentionally refuse to wear them. In addition, some workers also learned the attitude from their
master mechanics who have not been wearing PPEs when working on vehicles. Thus the attitude becomes part of their working
life. In the study carried out by Adei et al. (2011) some of the workers did not put on gloves since they claimed to be
uncomfortable to use gloves and also gloves wearing adversely affected the beauty of the auto spraying objects. Others also did not
feel comfortable wearing PPE, especially in the dry and hot weather. In most of the local auto repair workshops, the provision of
the protective clothing and equipment was found to be the responsibility of the individuals but not the managers or proprietors of
the workshop. Although most of the workers recognized the importance of wearing the appropriate PPE, they claimed these were
not used because of financial constraints. However, nose masks, workshop apron, goggles and safety boots were the common
safety equipment which some of the workers used. This was also confirmed by the study carried out by Rongo (2004), that most
of the small scale workers operates in the open and did not use PPE; he therefore recommended the use of PPEs as the appropriate
measure for hazards protection.
Respondents from the international automobile companies violate the safety measure of using wedges to prevent rolling of tires
when working. This could be attributed to carelessness on the part of mechanics. In the government institutions, lack of fire
extinguishers and first aid boxes were violated measures. This is not surprising since observation by the researchers indicated that
most of the workshops in the government institutions do not have fire extinguishers and first aid boxes and if available not
properly kept.
Accidents could easily be prevented if workshop safety measures are in place and workers adhere to them appropriately. Most
local mechanics operating in the informal sector lack knowledge regarding best safety practices. According to them, conducting
periodic safety seminars for them will enlighten them and expose them to occupational safety regulations leading to reduction of
occupational accidents. Respondents from international automobile companies believe that special safety instruction for particular
jobs should be organized for them to enhance their safety awareness and practice. In the study conducted in Kumasi by Adei et al.
(2011), pperiodic education on safety would helped to upgrade knowledge of potential hazards of materials used in the car,
furniture and coffin spraying industry. 93% of the spraying workshops did not have someone responsible for safety; however 5.3
% and 3% had their masters and senior apprentice responsible respectively. Moen and Holland, (2000) have reported effective
compliance of health and safety regulations by local artisans such as spray painters as a result of mandatory training for initial
certification and refresher training every two years, reaches a wide range of painters, regardless of previous training, union status,
or company size, rather than voluntary training through workers associations in improving self-protective behaviours. This is
because general safety training was organized for workers in these companies and they adhered to it. Automobile repairers in
government institution workshops were certain that adherence to all the accident prevention factors is very essential and important
in preventing occupational accidents.
5.Conclusion
Occupational safety measures are not adequately adhered to by most local mechanics in Ghana. Most of the workers in these
workshops are illiterate and learned the job through apprenticeship. However, the researchers believed that if graduates in
automobile courses are employed to be supervisors at automobile repair workshops, they would enforce the use of PPEs which is
cause of most common accidents. In addition, safety measures would be inculcated in the apprentices working under these
supervisors. Furthermore, occupational accidents could be minimized if safety seminars or training are organized for local
mechanics. These should be mandatory for initial certification and refresher training periodically by government. This strategy
may be very effective in covering wide range of local artisans regardless of previous training, union status, or company size, rather
than voluntary training through workers associations. This practice would significantly improve workers attitude in self protection
at their workshops. However, for the workers in the international automobile company workshops and government institution
workshops, safety measures are being practiced but can be enhanced through periodic seminars and training. This study could also
be extended to other local artisans in the small scale industries such as carpentry, building and construction etc. in Ghana to
identify occupational accident risk factors associated with their works and safety practices. In all, the government should also
provide adequate financial and logistical support to all enforcement agencies of OSH legislation to enable them effectively carry
out their duties.
5.1 Limitations
This study was limited to only automobile repair workshops. Classification of repair workshops was done by the researchers
using their own criteria with only small number of respondents from the international automobile companies willingly to respond
to our questionnaire. In addition, the researchers were not allowed into the working shops of the international companies to
observe their safety practices which could have a significant influence on our results.
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Biographical notes
Maxwell S. Akple is of Ho Polytechnic, Mechanical Engineering Dept., Ho, Volta Region, Ghana.
Received November 2013

Accepted November 2013
Final acceptance in revised form November 2013

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International Journal of Business, Management and Social Sciences

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Accident and safety violation in automobile repair workshops in Ghana

Table 3: Causes of accidents in automobile repair workshops

3.3. Most violated safety regulations

Lack of first aid box or attendant

Table 11: Accident prevention factors

Provision of safe storage of flammables, explosive and combustibles

Received November 2013

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