Effective use of personal protective equipment at BMW SA, Rosslyn Assembly Plant Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract

Employees' health and safety in the workplace have become an integral component of the viability of a business for employers, labour unions, governments and environmentalists in general. In order to maintain safety standards in the workplace, the South African government introduced Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 in terms of which employers are obliged to create and maintain a safe working environment for their employees as well as contractors and visitors. This study sought to investigate the causes of ineffective use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by employees at BMW (SA) Rosslyn Assembly Plant, Gauteng Province of South Africa . The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to investigate the reasons for the reluctance of employees at BMW SA, Rosslyn Plant to use PPE; to identify the limitations that some of the PPE have; and to determine the employees knowledge on the importance of using PPE among others. The findings, in agreement with literature, indicate that problems of the reluctance to effectively use PPEs can be solved by using training to sensitize workers about the importance of PPEs. It is through training that the correct usage of PPEs can be enhanced , leading to the improvement of safety at BMW SA, Plant Rosslyn