Assessment of Employee Awareness of the Applicability of Ergonomic Exercises in the Banking Institutions in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate into Kenyan bank employees' awareness on the applicability of ergonomic exercises in the course of their work. It was hypothesized that there would. h,e no significant differences in terms of gender and position of work in relation to the above. Subjects for the study included tellers, secretaries, clerks, and officers in banking institutions in Nairobi. 1,500 employees from jive banks (National bank, Cooperative bank, Equity bank, Kenya Commercial bank and Family Finance) were targeted. A total of seventeen branches from the banks and 450 employees were selected randomly for the study. Questionnaires were administered to collect information related to the employees' awareness of the applicability of exercise in th e banking institutions. 321 questionnaires were completed and returned. Qualitative methods of data analysis were utilized to analyze the data. Chi-square at p 0.05 was run to test the hypothesis. Results indicated that most employees were not aware of the applicability of ergonomic exercises in the banking institutions. There was a significant gender difference (x2=752, n=321, df=5, p<0.05). Females (41.32%) were more aware of the applicability of ergonomic exercises than the males (35.71%). In addition there was a significant difference in terms of working position (x2 674, n=321, df=5, p<0.05). The tellers (51.90%) were the most unaware while the secretaries (67.74%) were the most aware. It was therefore recommended tGa.t-the Kenya Bankers Association in partnership with the bank management initiate ergonomics training for their employees and make the banks ergonomically sound. In addition, more research to establish specific effects of exercises on specific musculoskeletal injuries, and the most effective duration for exercising were recommended.