Working conditions and safety in the workplace of women workers in Bangkok Metropolis

Abstract

Women workers' actual situation in Bangkok Metropolis is one of the serious problems and it deserves to be studies solved. This study is aimed at studying and comparing the characteristics of women workers who work in 3 groups (metal, machinery and equipment industries, food beverage and tobacco industries, and construction industries), studying the working problems and conditions in the workplace of women workers and studying the factors influencing working safety of women workers. / Descriptive analysis is used in order to describe the characteristics of women who work in the three industries and the women's working conditions. Discriminant analysis is employed to discover the women's working problems. Multiple regression analysis is used to find the factors concerning women's working safety. / The results of the study are: the average age of the three groups studied was 26.4 years, and most of them had no childern. Most are migrants from the north-east and had only primary education. The average family income was Bt7611.5 per month, and most had no debt. The average incidence of sickness was four times per year. / Most of the women thought that their work was suitable for them but the promotion was difficult to achieve. The major problems associated with their work were dust, dirt and excessive heat. For the three groups of workers studied, it was found that women working in the metal working, machinery and equipment industries had the most working problems, and that women working in the food, beverage and tobacco industries had the least problems. / Concerning safety at work, most of those studied knew how to protect themselves against simple work accidents, but were not knowledgeable about work safety because many of the places of work did not have sufficient emergency exits. The main causes of work-place accidents, according to the study, were carelessness, lack of safety control, defective tools and equipment.