EVALUATION OF NOISE LEVELS IN MANUFACTURING SECTORS IN THIKA DISTRICT, KENYA

Abstract

Noise  is considered as any unwanted sound that may  adversely affect the health and  wel‐lbeing  of  individuals  or  populations  exposed.  This  study  assessed  the magnitude of occupational noise exposures to workers in different manufacturing sectors in Thika District‐Kenya. Systematic  random sampling was used to select 8 manufacturing  companies  (one  per  sector)  from  the  Directorate  of  Occupational safety and Health Services (DOSHS) and Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) registered  workplaces  in  Thika  District.  Thika  district  was  selected  because  of  its high  concentration  of  manufacturing  companies.  Data  was  collected  through; Environmental noise survey, Questionnaire Survey, observation and secondary data for  comparison.  A  sample  size  of  400  participants  from  the  eight  selected manufacturing industries was recruited in this study as per the table of maximum return  of  sample.  The  results  showed  that  the  males  population  (χ2  =  14.7;  p  < 0.05, df = 7) was high (82%)  as compared to  females (18%), hence gender had a significant association between the companies sampled. This study also found that the generator department recorded the highest value of dB(A) (χ2 = 2.40; p < 0.05, df = 1.00) while the office department recorded the lowest values  (p<0.05)  in all the  8  selected  companies.  The  production  department  had  the  highest  exposure magnitude  in  relation  to  employees  (p=0.041).  The  companies’  noise  exposure levels had significant association in terms of departments. The magnitude of noise exposure  to  the  workers  in  manufacturing  industries  in  Thika  District  is  high (p<0.05)  and  recommends  strict  enforcement  of  noise  control  regulations supported by necessary trainings, policies and personal protective equipments. The data  obtained  can  be  used  by  National  Environment  Management  Authority (NEMA)  and  DOSHS  to  develop  monitoring  and  evaluation  mechanisms  for enforcement and compliance.