JultikaUniversity of Oulu repository

Abstract

In addition, with productivity issues, occupational health, and safety (OHS) are also a major concern in the Ready-Made Garments (RMG) industry of Bangladesh. However, RMG industry is far behind to achieve acceptable OHS standards. Although OHS is directly and indirectly linked to the productivity of garment workers, the extant literature overlooks the impact of OHS on productivity in the RMG industry of Bangladesh. In the context of Bangladesh, productivity is not optimal due to different OHS-related factors. Therefore, the effect of OHS cannot be condoned. So, this study emphasizes the identification of the current OHS condition on the production floor and the impact of that condition on the productivity of Bangladeshi garment workers. To achieve the research objective both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been applied and the required data were collected from three RMG factories. The workers were assessed by their experience, habit, knowledge, and suggestion regarding OHS. OHS parameters such as sitting posture, easy reach material, and other safety practices were measured by following a checklist. The factories have been assessed based on the intervention on the production floor and by observing various OHS-related parameters which ultimately affect productivity. The study has unveiled some noticeable drawbacks such as improper ergonomics implications, poor working posture, and poor raw material handling. In this thesis it was observed that OHS activities have a significant impact into the productivity. The productivity has been increased up to 6–12% after the implementation.